By Madison Franks, Student Writer
OTTERBURNE, MB – The students at Providence meet and connect with a lot of staff, but they interact with one staff member more than most, especially if they live in residence. The name Teah Goossen is familiar to everyone on campus, as well as several commuting students, and rightfully so. Teah is Providence’s Residence Life Director and, after six years of excelling in her role, she is leaving Providence at the end of April.
Teah’s job has contained many things including, but not limited to, caring for the needs of students, running events, mentoring the RAs (Resident Assistants), and creating the Prayer Partner Program. It is rare to find a person who does one of these jobs well, rarer to find someone who does well at multiple jobs, and rarer still to locate a person who excels as much as Teah does at each one of them.
“The one-on-one conversations I get to have with my students are the most rewarding thing for me,” Teah said in response to being asked what the best part of her job has been. She went on to say that, “the best thing an RA could say to me at the end of a school year is, ‘it was hard, but I grew.’” This sentiment, if you know Teah at all, is one you may have heard before. She has an ability to speak truth into a person’s life and to ask them thoughtful questions.
Teah’s care has always gone far beyond the walls of residence. Sitting with students at meals is a norm for our beloved Residence Life Director: “To know that I can spend time around the lunch table with the students who I don’t normally see is awesome because I can build relationships with them too!” The students love it when Teah walks into the cafeteria because they know that if she sits at their table, the conversation that ensues could be anything from the transforming work of Christ in her life to a wild story of her travelling days.
While she was reflecting on the most rewarding parts of her role, she said, “When I see a student who had never heard of Jesus in September leave in April asking questions about God – I can’t imagine a greater reward for my work than that.” Teah loves her students well and she sees the potential in them. She mentors in a loving and respectful way that spurs on the student to grow closer to Christ. Not only does she mentor in the office, but her home has become the safe space of many students over the years who have come to chat, cry, and often both. I asked a graduating student about the impact Teah has had on their life, and they responded with words that many echo: “Teah has always shown me care in the office, but also when she sees me anywhere else. She makes me feel seen and her excitement when she sees me always makes me feel loved.”
She plans on continuing to make people feel loved. When asked what is next for her, Teah happily responded, “I’m continuing ministry by going into humanitarian work! I’m also going to get a van and travel, meeting missionaries along the way.” If you know Teah, you know this is right up her alley.
Throughout her time as Residence Life Director, Teah has shown people the inherent worth they possess, she has come alongside students and walked them through the hardest moments in their life, and she has been one of the brightest lights that shines Christ’s love at Providence. Teah is a person who lives out the Christian faith in a special way, always recognizing the students who are left on the sidelines. Teah’s heart is for the vulnerable.
Teah has cried with empathy alongside her students, rejoiced the loudest at their victories, shown up to sports games as their biggest fan, and told more stories than any one person knows what to do with. As one third-year student commented, “Providence won’t be the same without Teah around.” As Teah enters her final days as a Providence employee, make sure you stop by her office in Muriel Taylor Hall, ask her about her future humanitarian work, and wish her well on her next adventure!
