From a graduate at Asbury University to an elementary teacher, to an assistant professor to finally becoming an associate professor, earning a doctorate, Dr. Brittany Worthen has seen it all. She has found her niche here at Asbury in the education department.
“I love the small-town feel of Wilmore,” said Worthen. “I love a good Hallmark movie, and Wilmore makes me feel like I’m living out the hallmark movie.
Everyone knows each other in Wilmore, main street has small businesses that can be supported, she says, “I can raise my children in close by neighborhoods of friends,” Wilmore just feels like home.
Teaching at an elementary school post-graduation is very common for education majors, so Dr. Worthen looks back and is overjoyed at all of the schools here in Wilmore and surrounding areas.
“The schools in the community are just a beautiful piece of what I love about Wilmore,” said Worthen. “There’s just a sense of the Lord when you’re in Wilmore, there is a sense of peace.”
Worthen is passionate about the calling of the Lord and walks alongside her students in their faith journeys. She believes the bonds between professors and students are unique. So, she often hosts education major students at her house for dinner and other occasions.
“My favorite part is being there for my students,” said Worthen. “Being a supporter for them, to be in their lives and them to be in mine and my family’s life as well.”
She reminisces on the fact that she loves her job. Yet sometimes the students are there for her when she needs it. A Bible verse that adds to that support is Colossians 1:17. It reads, “He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.”
“This verse reminds me that when things don’t go my way, when the world around me is a mess, God has me, because He alone is in control,” said Worthen.
So, with this belief of God holding everyone in His hands, Worthen ensures her students that she is always there for support and a person to grow in faith with, as well as teaching expertise.
“The relationships I have with my students, that is my favorite part of my job,” said Worthen. She adores getting to know them on a more personal level. This is because she gets to invest in their lives even at the university level.
“It’s my heart to help them feel known and loved,” she said, “and to help them know there identity and who they are in Christ.”