Like many, Joseph Bodenman started his Covenant story his freshmen year, but unlike many, he took a hiatus to try another high school. He thought he wanted a larger school. “I found out that there is a huge difference,” he said. Joseph didn’t like the bigger size of his new school, finding it difficult to fit in and make new friends. He encountered cliques and as soon as he transferred, he said he knew he wanted to go back to CHS. “I knew that was where I wanted to be,” Joseph said. “I just found it to be a way better fit. You’re more well-known here and it’s a tighter family.”

“One of my favorite things about [CHS] would have to be the teachers and how connected they are,” Joseph said. All of them have been crucial to his spiritual development and education. “I’m more rooted in my faith and confident in what I believe. I’m building, more deeply, my relationship with God.”

“It’s been really nice to be surrounded by everyone that you know is a believer so you can talk about your faith all the time,” said Joseph. “It’s nice to be in an environment where the teachers are excited to talk about the faith and all subjects connected to it.” Joseph used English as an example, and how they frequently analyze books not just from a literary standpoint, but from the Christian faith.

Other than English, Art has been incredibly helpful for Joseph, which he has taken for every year he’s been at Covenant. He’s also enjoyed physics and calculus much more than he anticipated, as it satisfies the logical part of his brain. These classes have been important in shaping what Joseph desires to do with his future: graphic design.

Over the past four years, Joseph says he’s come out of his shell and seen his leadership strengthen, embracing new roles as treasurer of Honor Society and a student ambassador. He’s become more organized, servant-hearted, and learned how to serve in a role that benefits the community through community service projects and simply reaching out and taking advantage of his opportunities.

Next year, Joseph plans to go to George Fox University to study graphic design. He currently pictures himself as a future graphic designer or architect, but looks forward to exploring what a career around graphic design could look like.