For the Apostle Paul, his radical conversion occurred en route to Damascus.
For former Snohomish resident Angie Ellenwood, her “road to Damascus” experience was via The Citadel, one of the premier military colleges in the United States.
Ellenwood, one of the few women to have graduated from the school, did so with distinction, making the dean’s list, playing goalie for the soccer team and earning a degree in physics. She was planning on joining the U.S. Air Force as a meteorologist.
Instead of leaving the college, she’s going back, not as a student, but as a missionary for God.
“I think it’s a great school that has great ideals,” Ellenwood said. “But there is an incredible need for Christ, and even Christians fall into the temptations that occur here, just like at any other college.”
The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, S.C., is considered a gateway institution for burgeoning officers, who regularly enlist in the U.S. armed forces. The college began accepting female students in 1995 as a result of a protracted legal battle, with some dropping out, citing harassment and ongoing emotional and verbal abuse.
Ellenwood, who graduated in 2006, felt the need to return to The Citadel after a youth retreat where she shared her story of the trials and tribulations she endured as a female cadet.
“It was brutal,” Ellenwood said. “As a freshman, it’s like boot camp, but instead of eight weeks, it’s a whole year and they train you to be a man, not a woman. Plus, I was the first woman in that company so it was awkward for them, they didn’t know how to deal with it. Then there’s the name-calling. I’ve been called every name in the book, told to leave the school. It was hard.”
After she told her story, Ellenwood says she was surrounded by girls who were asking her for advice about their own personal struggles. She said that’s when she realized God wanted her to reach out to the women as a missionary for Campus Crusade for Christ.
Ellenwood knew in her heart she needed to do that at The Citadel.
“It is very apparent that God created men and women differently, and while male cadets go through there feeling broken with the physical and mental hardships, it’s different for women because of the emotional hardships,” Ellenwood said. “In that environment, you are told you are not a woman. They go through four years of being told that they are not beautiful.”
Ellenwood served as religious officer for the 4th Battalion at The Citadel, and was aware of the spiritual needs of her fellow female cadets. But she felt the need for additional religious training and sought help from Campus Crusade for Christ, a nondenominational college campus missions organization based in Colorado.
After a summer of being trained in the basics of theology, scripture-based Bible studies and lessons on how to be effective on campus, she returned to The Citadel ready to minister to the 132 female cadets at the college.
And like any college, the Citadel has its own unique problems. That perhaps is best illustrated by T-shirts sold locally that feature a photo of the late John Belushi in the starring role of Bluto Blutarsky from “Animal House.” The caption reads, “The Citadel: A Drinking School with a Military Problem.”
Despite the troubles at the school, Ellenwood is determined to render what spiritual aid she can to her fellow female cadets.
“God doesn’t need me to do anything, but I know he has me there for a reason, so that these girls have someone to talk to and help keep them accountable,” Ellenwood said. “I believe it is important that God has me there.”
Reporter Justin Arnold: 425-339-3432 or jarnold@heraldnet.com.
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