As summer winds down in Lafayette, IN, Faith Christian School’s Eagle Scramble golf tournament is in full swing. This year we hosted our 18th annual tournament. We had a great day catching up with school supporters and alumni. Connecting with new supporters and sharing the mission and impact of Faith Christian School is key during this outing. Tyler Borgman, a 2010 graduate shared the value of his experience while attending FCS. Tyler’s story is a variation on a theme at Faith -students being disciples and well-grounded for their future! We are proud of our alumni and thankful for the chance we had to invest in them at Faith. It is our hope you will thoroughly enjoy reading Tyler’s speech!
Hello, My name is Tyler Borgman. I graduated from Faith in 2010. Since graduating high school, I went on to play baseball in college and graduated with honors and a degree in Fitness Management from Purdue University Calumet last May. In June of last year, I married my high school sweetheart Jordyn and we currently live in Hobart, Indiana. I currently work for a major fitness center as a personal trainer and also in a physical therapy office both of which are downtown Chicago while Jordyn is a radiographic technologist in Highland. Jordyn and I faithfully attend Village Evangelical Free Church in Dyer, Indiana. It truly is hard to believe 11 years has passed since I started my time at Faith. I came in as a hyper and wild 8th grader that lacked discipline and self-control. When I graduated in 2010, I had no idea the impact the 5 years I spent at Faith had on my life. Looking back at my time at Faith, there are 3 things that come to mind that I want to share today.
- First, impacting lives is what matters most. We live in a world where we are measured by how big our bank account is and how much stuff we have. However, at Faith I experienced something different – The people there invested in me as a person and were not only concerned with my academic or athletic performance. My family moved to Faith as a result of my parents’ divorce and I was in desperate need of good male role models in my life. Through sports, I had the opportunity of forming lasting relationships with 3 coaches that became mentors for me that I still rely on for advice today. These coaches spent time challenging me on the field but most importantly challenged me to be a better person. Additionally, I still have lasting relationships with friends that I formed in high school. These friends still challenge me to be a better person and there is no price I can put on the value of what these people mean to me. The most important aspect of how the teachers and staff impacted me in regards to impacting lives is with my wife and family. As a result of being close to my coaches, I had the privilege of seeing them interact with their wives and demonstrate Godly love for them even during busy seasons of life. They loved their families and sacrificed for them to demonstrate God’s love for us. This has always stuck with me as a vivid reminder of how to treat others, my wife and family.
- Next, the opportunities Faith presents both academically and athletically are incredible. If you ask the majority of my teachers when I graduated high school if I would graduate college with honors, I am sure very few of them would NOT have placed their bet on me. In high school I often took my academic workload as a joke and only viewed schoolwork as an avenue to keep me on the playing field. Even though I was not invested into my schooling as a high school student, my teachers were always invested in me. Because of this, I was still prepared when it came to college because of how difficult my classes were while at Faith. Many of my general education courses in college required minimal effort to get A’s because of the excellent teaching and courses I was required to take at Faith. My favorite part of my time at Faith was playing sports. As I mentioned earlier, my coaches not only prepared me athletically but ultimately invested in me as a person and aimed to direct me in a positive direction in life regardless of athletic performance. I often refer back to conversations I had with all of my coaches and appreciate the investment they made on my life. Most importantly, as a result of playing three sports, I was always busy. I appreciate the many opportunities Faith presented for me in the classroom, on the athletic playing fields and also through other extra curricular events. Because I was always busy, it was important to practice good time management skills and develop a good work ethic to ensure success and meeting deadlines. This prepared me to balance college athletics and college classes along with enjoying a social life and going to Church.
- God matters most when it comes to life. – I grew up in a Christian family and went to church my whole life. However, it was not until March of my JR. year that I made a decision to accept Christ as my personal Savior. You may be wondering why I decided to talk about this point last. I firmly believe that because I learned the importance of people and saw the investment that my teachers and coaches made on my life, I further understood God’s grace and wanted that to be a part of my life. I never felt that the Bible was shoved down my throat and forced upon me. Faith is a place that encourages spiritual growth and development in a positive manner while teaching students to be responsible and contributing citizens of this country. It was because of these principles and the individuals that invested in me and cared about who I was as a person that I eventually came to a faith in Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, I am incredibly thankful for the way God worked in my life while at Faith. Those important 5 years forever changed my life for the positive. I am thankful to Mr. Grass for giving me the opportunity to share my story. And yes I am probably a little biased but I am also thankful for my mother who was also one of my favorite teachers. She worked tirelessly to provide for us at home and was a phenomenal English teacher. To my wife Jordyn, thank you for always supporting my dreams, encouraging me to be a better person and for loving me through my failures. Lastly, I am thankful to the Lord for his perfect plan and for watching over me through my short 24 years of life and thank you to everyone who came today for investing in Christian education at Faith Christian School. God Bless.
