#8 What Students Need to Know About Serving the Vulnerable - Carol Sisson
Episode 8 | 28 Minutes | Jan 28, 2025
How can you align your career with your calling to serve the vulnerable? Many of us feel drawn to helping others but struggle to find ways to integrate that into our lives and work.
In this episode of Innovate for Good, Dr. Carol Sisson, director of the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children Program at Taylor University, shares practical advice on connecting your education, faith, and skills to meaningful work.
This conversation will help you think practically about your next steps and how to approach your career with clarity, purpose, and a mindset of service.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
How Dr. Carol Sisson's upbringing and faith shaped her passion for serving vulnerable populations
The unique blend of education and discipleship at Taylor University
Practical ways to bring God’s heart for the vulnerable into your everyday life
Why mentorship and modeling can spark lifelong change in others
The importance of seeing missions and social justice as interconnected
How the next generation is being prepared to lead with compassion and humility
Dr. Sisson’s advice for students stepping into their careers
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Carol Sisson is a professor and director of the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Program at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, where she has been teaching for over 15 years. With a background in educational psychology and special education, Carol combines academic rigor with a deep commitment to discipleship. Her passion is equipping students to live out God’s call to serve vulnerable populations with humility and compassion. Outside of the classroom, Carol draws inspiration from her upbringing, where her parents modeled a life of service through fostering, volunteering, and dignifying all people.
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today we're joined by Dr. Carol Sisson, who serves as a professor and the director of the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children Program at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. Carol has been teaching at Taylor for over 15 years in both the education and psychology departments. And we've had the honor of speaking a couple of times in her class to her students. And, uh, we see that there's a lot of overlap in the themes that she teaches to her students and the work that One Collective is doing around the world globally. So we're so grateful that you've joined us today, Carol. Thank you.
thank you. Good to be here.
Carol, can you tell us a little bit about your background? I know that you've studied educational psychology. Can you tell us about, how you decided to study that and what your background in that area is?
I was a Taylor graduate and was a psychology major with lots of other classes. I packed lots of things in thinking I'd, go different directions. But, I mainly studied that, but I wanted to work also with special education. So, um, but I did not think I could be a teacher. So, um, I had bad handwriting and I'm not artsy.
So those were things I thought I had to have. To teach. Well, I've learned since that's not what it takes. Um, but for me, I thought, that's not a road for me. But I did love the idea of working in schools and with kids. And so I got my master's in educational specialist in school psychology.
And then, probably about 10, 15 years later, I went back and got my doctorate in educational psychology and special education.
So then what led you to the route of higher education? If you weren't sure that you were going to be a teacher from the beginning, how did you end up there?
Definitely a God directed path also the path I would say of a, female a lot of times per, in professional world, you have different seasons of when you can do things. So I had quite a few years as a stay at home mom and homeschooled and things like that. So it was not ever a direct path, but, I think what put that idea in my mind was Even in college, I had a couple of people, one in student development, Dr.
Tim Herman, and then one in psychology, Dr. Vance Maloney, who both, told me even when I was in college that they saw that in my future. They, Sometimes would even call me doctor or professor, like,
okay.
so they, they spoken into me. I worked for one of them and was a TA for another, but I don't just a reminder how we can speak a future into people and you don't quite know how it's going to land.
But I just kind of had that idea, but then those years of homeschooling actually, and doing some work in a co op and Sunday school and things like that helped me realize I did enjoy teaching. Yeah. That probably were other things later. Yeah.
Judging from my visit to your OVC class last week. I can, I am certain that there are a number of students who are glad that you have made this like career choice for you because, in that class, Carol, I gave a 5 minute introduction, opened the floor for a few questions, and they went for like 15 minutes asking a range of really good questions, and I think that it seems to me like you Been successful to some degree.
I don't want to overstate it, but like you, you've created this environment where students want to learn and they're eager to ask questions. Is that how you see it?
Yes. Thank you. I'm glad you saw that and they, they did. Perform well, that's good. I didn't even warn him either. So that's good. I really try to make the classroom a hospitable place. They have to learn about each other. They have named quizzes at the beginning. They have to learn each other's names and, learn to ask questions.
We talk about a lot about intellectual humility and how we get critical thinkers. And, so I think there are certain things you can do to. All right. frame the class, and then hopefully they step into it, which they usually do.
Yeah, I think I've experienced that in each of the three or four classes that I've been in of yours. There's a warmth, a receptivity or openness in them that I just find refreshing and I don't always see that everywhere I go. So that's really great. In a conversation with a student, I think, and I think a social work major last week at Taylor.
She said, Social work is the heart of God. And I love that statement. But what I'm, where I'm going here is that I think like majors like OVC, orphans and vulnerable children, social work, maybe even psychology. They bring an emphasis on some really important personal dynamics, social family, structural dynamics that are.
That really helps students understand people and relationships more than just in a conceptual way or theological way. And I don't know, your department is, it's different than missions or Christian ministry, all of all various good departments, but it seems like your focus on the love and care for people, especially the vulnerable is, Bye.
Bye. Just really close to the heart of God.
Yeah. I love that. I, we know the vulnerable are close to the heart of God, right? We read that in scripture. So. I do think there is a certain type of student or student with certain experience that is drawn to that and that are drawn to those classes, usually because they have interacted with someone vulnerable, or they have been vulnerable themselves.
There's a part of me too, though, that I'm like, this is Christianity. It's not just a major. And so I want people to see this is all of our calling in some way. Not just particular majors. But it is fun. And that the particular classes, a lot of times we get students from all different majors.
It counts as a foundational core course. So it is really fun to see. We have film majors in computer science and biology and, all different ones that are caring about this. So I think that's really a lovely space. Yeah.
I don't know my ex. What I see is that there seem to be a lot of Christians who don't necessarily share this kind of like they might check. They might get that question right on a test, but in terms of their outlook on life and how they view people, whether it's people, refugees or immigrants or people in trafficking or whatever.
Different demographics like that. It seems like there, it hasn't captured the hearts of many people. And so I'm, I'd love to hear, like, how you came to see this as something more prominent. For you, rather than simply, oh yeah, that's true.
We should care about the poor or whatever. How did your, your evolution in this go, go, go?
I would say it was modeled for me my whole life. My dad was a military chaplain, worked a lot. A lot of his focus was with, prisoners. And even just the way he spoke about them, was very dignifying. I don't ever remember. There were some interesting stories, but I never remember like him speaking as if they were less than, and my mom was a stay at home mom and piano teacher in the afternoon.
And I called her a professional volunteer because she just was, volunteering as long as I can remember. And we were involved in it, so we would be involved. She. Would do a summer camp with kids with severe disabilities and they would come to the military base and we'd help with that and she would teach English to refugees and we'd come along and teach English to refugees and she, support adoptive families and yeah, so just, I think it was just so model to see people, That it became very normal to do that and to serve.
I definitely appreciate that with them. And then they also became foster parents. So we saw that. So I was about eighth grade when they started taking foster kids and they had many over the years. So yeah, they invited us in as a family and I just saw that was a value to them.
And I think it just became a value to me then.
Yeah.
reminder of the
influence our parents have over us in our
formative years and like me as a parent looking at my young children and the words that like my husband and I are Speaking to each other about people in our lives, that is internalized
by our children. And so if we're speaking truth and life and hope and dignity, that's something that they'll carry forward.
But if we're speaking negatively and critically of people, that can also be like something they carry, for the rest of their lives and their outlook on. Humanity.
So it is so important how we, model like our language and the way we treat people, obviously
in front of our children, but it's a good reminder.
Another student that I met at Taylor last week, I was talking with him and he seemed so. Warm just as a person, but also we talked about what he might want to do with his life, his career and the demographics he may sense a calling to, and he just had such a warm, tender.
heart toward people like refugees or people who are in other vulnerable situations. So I asked a little, kind of on the same vein here, I asked about his family and he said, Oh yeah, in our hometown, my family, they always cared about the refugees that were in their family. So naturally he's been breathing this kind of air, his whole life.
And so it's natural that it just continues with him into his. adulthood and perhaps his career too. Yeah,
we're very compartmentalized, especially in the United States, so you can, we would have other students who've lived their whole life and never met a refugee and never met a foster child. And, so you have that as well. And when they come to Taylor, they have a different journey, because then they engage and learn about it at that point.
So it's never, it's not too late. And we have students so interested at that point as well. But, the more we can expose each other to. People of that are not like ourselves are in different situations. I think it's just such a gift to our kids, but also, just to our churches and Yeah, so
Just a follow up question on that. So like I'm envisioning the class that I was in and I don't know, 25 students, whatever, would you have in a typical class of yours, that kind of mix of backgrounds?
Yes now that one in particular Probably a little over half would have had exposure, like there are a lot of them, they had foster, their parents took foster kids or, or they've been adopted or their parents are in ministry things. And the other half has a, has some sort of reason.
Each day someone does a different introduction and they share their why, like why they're in
Oh, yeah.
class and, or why they're, Heart is for the vulnerable and, often it's somebody, it's always somebody they met.
So it could be a child at camp or someone in their church or a family member. So it is amazing how once we meet somebody, we recognize that we, first of all, we can relate and there we can learn from them and we have something to offer, but also it's not scary or it's not abstract.
Yeah.
Which is why things like mission trips still, I think, have a lot of value.
They need to be done, they need to be done well, but they also, they create in you that, that compassion for people and people you pray for and see. Yeah.
I don't know how much of my family or my story I've shared if you care, but we have five kids and our youngest five adult kids, our youngest is 27 and he is moderately autistic. And 25 years ago or so when we realized that he. Was going to have this delay or this situation, it began to open our eyes as to this whole group of people out in the world that have some kind of a challenge, whether it's emotional or, mental or physical.
And of course those people have always existed. But once you have this personal. Contact and connection with someone from that group, it changes you and like now I'm not afraid to talk with someone with a disability because I talk with my son so I can talk freely and they're not people to be feared.
They're people to be cared for and loved as we would anyone else.
Yeah. I think suffering does the same thing, doesn't it? When you think of, when you go through a pain of some kind or I think of the, when my mom passed away and, she had a stroke and I just remember the doctors talking to it, not to bring us down, but the doctors gathering around telling me and my dad that she was not going to live.
And in that moment, and I just thought I, I now it's like I was just flooded. I now know when just names came to my mind, what's all these people have gone through that I had no, I just knew they had gone through it, but I didn't know what it was like. And it's I now know what they went through. And like, it just gives, gave me such new eyes from
Yeah. With this mandate and God's heart for people who are in vulnerable situations, what, what are some ideas on what this can look like for God's people today to just live out this. caring heart of God in our daily lives in our regular lives.
I think being informed is one thing. I guess part of it and Is seen like who is in your circle? Who's close? And that's actually what got us into foster care is a lot of our ministry was here with Taylor students, the families at our church. It's a community with a lot of strong Christian families.
And I think we were challenged, like, where are we stepping into poverty or where are we stepping into brokenness that we could all step into as a family? And, and even though we had done things way out there, and our kids had done some cool, mission experiences too. It's as here on a day to day basis, who am I interacting with?
And so that's actually what got us into foster care. Cause we thought, okay, we know there are families and kids in our community that need someone. So I guess part of that answer would be then look around you and. And see, like I would study a lot with a racial reconciliation and things.
But that's not a big, that's not a situation on a day to day, daily that we have around here. It's very monocultural and very monoracial around our area. So I would have to go. 30 miles away to interact and so that wasn't where God was putting me right there I can still pray for that and engage in that and learn about that But that's maybe not what is put in front of me what I need to do So I guess maybe just to look around what's in front of me that I can do without I don't want to say without disrupting my life if we disrupt our life too much.
We're not gonna do it But what can I bring into my life? Um, and open my life up to that can help me step into some places like that.
That's a great way to look at it because people aren't too eager to sign up for something that disrupts their life.
But if it's something they can open their life up to and bring in, like you said, I think that's more inviting. It's
still a challenge for all of us, but it's something that, yeah, that we could see ourselves moving into more so than if it was like to totally upend our life to do
right. Let's all quit our jobs and move. Yeah.
So I know that you care, obviously, about investing in your students deeply and shaping them for a life of serving the vulnerable, the oppressed, what are some things that you're doing to help shape that? And encourage, this kind of posture in your students. I know that, that we're trying to do the same thing, and invest in people in order to help shape them for a lifetime of service, just as you are.
So I'm curious. Yeah. What are some ways that, you're able to do that?
Some is by, well, spending time in the Bible. The first assignment we do in my class, and I did this when I taught an education class too, on diversity, diverse learners. But, just a biblical, it's just a study that I put together just on God's view of poverty and, the poor, his care for the poor, his care for the vulnerable.
And what, who were the poor in scripture that. God talked about. So it's a interactive study where they look up verses and even things like practices put in place to prevent oppression of the poor.
wow.
So it. Gives it that framing at the beginning, which I think is helpful. Books we read, like in my cap, my capstone with my seniors is different from, my intro class, but like in capstone, we're reading, an unhurried life.
So like, how do we have rhythms of ministry in a way that, is going to help us. long term be effective and be close to God and what we're wanting to do for God. How can we do it with God? But, so I think the books we read, I am a big proponent of experiential learning. Shaping, they do practical experiences, but also what can we do as groups or, To do things to prepare well and experience something.
Debrief. Those things. And, so we can be exposed to different cultures and different situations. So the beautiful thing about Taylor is they get that in so many other places, it's not just mine. So they're getting that in the residence hall and in chapel and in their other courses.
So it's really fun to know that I'm not trying to do it all,
Yeah,
yeah, because I would not do that well, but, so they're coming from so many different areas and yeah, it's fun to be a part of that and they have an eagerness. They come at least to tailor with the desire that this is what they want to do is be discipled.
I don't know why this phrase is coming to my mind, but that's like right up your alley. That's like what you like to see and
it is. It is. Yeah. Yeah. So I love the idea of teaching at this level because of the discipleship and the. I know I wouldn't do just the teaching somewhere else if it didn't have that component. I
Yeah. I wanted to share, just take a minute and share briefly how one collective is doing this. So for example, an intern from. Taylor goes overseas or they do a short term experience, they will engage in some pre field online training. That's like the first piece that they get and there are there are aspects of that where they talk about an awareness of vulnerable people.
They talk about prepare. How do you prepare to go to another culture? And then once they go, we put in their hands a handbook Which guides them through learning experiences regarding their spiritual life and serving. And again, more formation on the topic of serving and loving vulnerable people. And then when they're on the field, they are under the direct supervision of someone who has lived there for At least a few years, two or three years, sometimes many more years.
And so they will be guided by someone who gets this stuff, not only conceptually, but lives it and who will pour into these short term workers, these interns from their life experience in that culture. And then for people who serve with us longer term, like long term, like career people.
They come for two weeks of training to our home office. And in those two weeks of training, we have some really solid stuff. I think you would appreciate it. I,
I know, I'd like to come,
yeah. We go pretty, we talk really frankly about things like. What's on your, what's in your grief lineage?
What's in your, your whole life story? What are the things there that need to be unpacked? We talk pretty, very openly about trauma. We talk about cultural, intercultural intelligence. And so that's not just me being able to have some intelligence in another country, it's me being able to have some intelligence as I relate to my spouse because she's from a different culture or the people in my workplace.
So it's pretty great. And then we also have, I guess I'm pretty excited about all this.
That's good, that sounds
We also have this, what we call our equip courses, which is a whole range of courses that are taught by people within the organization. Topics range from, self awareness, doing discipleship in another culture, training on healing from trauma, and our community development, community transformation approach.
People can go deep into each one of the segments of our approach. And this is, these are open for not only career people, but short terms as well. So if, Taylor students, they go somewhere next summer, for example, they can sign up for these courses and have those impact them as well.
Oh, that's
Yeah.
That's great. Because that is the area of the experiential is I think so often we think, they'll learn it here and then they just go do it. But it's that's not how it works. We have to be learning and how are we doing? And I love that focus on how do we know ourselves and what we're bringing to this and,
And where do we need healing and where we Where are we serving out of places of hurt, maybe, and not health.
And yeah,
And with some of these students, we go full circle and we invite them on a different podcast where we talk to them about their experience.
Oh, there you go. That's
It's really pretty great.
Yeah. Those are the kind of practicums we want our students to have. Where we can pass them over and it's not just, okay, go to this place and work all summer. And then they, yeah, it's these kind of things. It's framed in a way that is. So educational for them and spiritually forming and culturally and just all those pieces.
So thank you for doing those.
That's what we aim for. And I think we do a pretty good job. We're not perfect, but we have some. Some of these important blocks, I think, in place, and we, they're really important to us and we are intentional about practicing them and implementing them with students and career people too.
that's right. And then they bring that back and teach me and teach others too. And, so that's how we keep improving.
I love that. We're collaborators
yeah, that's right.
in the next generation.
Oh, for sure.
something I read in a bio of yours, that. It that I really liked, was that the way that you, connect with students and what you're trying to do, your aim with students is to help them yearn for right relationships with God, others, themselves, and
creation.
And I love that because to me, that sounds like the word Shalom. Like the
definition
yeah. You betcha. You betcha. Yep.
and that's like
what we all should be aiming for,
and to reach that, to be in harmony with creation and with each other and with God, it's really a product of God shaping us to be more like him because he of course embodies Shalom perfectly. Yeah, I'm curious as you look at the next generation and the future of, people that are going to be working in these fields with vulnerable people with orphans. Those who are in education or pursuing psychology at an advanced level. How do you see God shaping this generation?
Or what are some observations of yours about this generation? What's encouraging about this generation to you?
I know I'm skewed on my perception of this generation because I work with amazing students. And they're, I'm sure they're not all that way up there. But the ones I'm working with, what I am seeing is, an excitement. About their own walk with the Lord that I think is really cool. I see them discipling each other, and.
I do feel like the Lord has given just, some encouragement to me at different times of. Saying, the, often think, what's going to happen to this generation and so many concerns about it. But I actually really think revivals coming and will come from this generation because they have had everything at least in the U S and a lot of places, they have had everything offered to them that is supposed to be wonderful.
And they realize it's not, it's empty without the Lord. And so I think there's just a really. Beautiful hunger about them that, they know where things, what's worth living for and they're willing to give up some things. And, yeah, so I don't know. I'm excited about them. The students we have and Mark saw that they're eager, to learn and there's a humility in their learning.
I think where we really can help is to help them. Understand what is truth and, that kindness also has truth in it. And we bring truth and healing. We're just not kind to people, but we bring the gospel, which sometimes is hard news, in some ways. And same with our own lives, like God working in us does not always look happy and great.
It can come through a lot of hard things and, but our purpose is to be shaped to be like him. So yeah, just I don't know there. There's I'm excited about it And I think we're seeing it on a lot of different campuses
With students. I just I feel like they are gonna be the ones leading others to the Lord.
Amazing.
I met probably with six or six or seven, eight students last week at Taylor. And I would have to say that this trait of humility and a jet also I use the word authenticity as well. There's something. There was something just really, I'll use the word, good about these students that I met with.
And so, they give me hope.
Any advice, Carol, for Christians that are going to head into the workplace soon?
We're just talking about that with my seniors today at the finish your senior paper. That would be the 1st
okay.
Okay. Okay. Yeah.
, I would say, don't be anxious. I think there's an anxiety that you have to the, your next decision has to be so major. Like, where am I going to live? Who am I going to. Work for and, so I was just telling a student today, actually, instead of fear, like just watch and that's been, that's been told to me so many times.
But just watch how the Lord is going to lead and unfold and go into it with anticipation because he's so faithful to do that. So it would be one, because I think we will accept a job out of fear, or we, hone down our choices out of fear. And so, so keeping that open, knowing God wants our good, the good that will produce fruit in us.
So maybe not what feels good, but the good
Is fruit. Another thing I would say is, um, choose carefully who you go to work for. And also, um, I really believe in the, the holistic, help that we bring and One Collective is very good at, you bring the gospel and social justice like they're hand in hand.
And so without the gospel, I just want them to be really aware of, you can do a lot of work in this space without the gospel, but. First of all, are you very strong in, do you have a strong network of Christians that you're in this? But also are you, using all God gave you if you can't use that part of the gospel?
So, just be aware and be aware of the workplace. And, who are you working with? And is there joy? Is there thriving? Are there rhythms that keep everyone from burning out? Or is it like people come for a year and leave constantly?
So as I guess, those would be some of the things, but. And your dream job doesn't always, I dunno, I think we, we move into dream jobs, right?
exactly.
Every job that's a dream job has a lot of, mundane, hard things about it. And it's, and so just being realistic that, with all the things you love to do, there are a lot of just gritty things you have to do as well.
Yeah. I forget if I shared this in your, senior seminar class. I don't think I did, but I shared in one or two classes last week that, if you are walking. Somewhat close to your Lord. And so the, so there's a vitality there, a life there. And if God is a good father, we're not going to miss what he wants
Right,
he's, he's close to us.
He's speaking to us. He will speak to us the way forward, just like he did with Jesus. And so I told a few classes, guys. And it's easy for me to say, of course, just relax. It's like what you said, don't worry, but just it's not the father has you and he's going to be kind to you.
Now, if you're not really in a relationship with God where there is genuine trust and intimacy, that dynamic that I'm speaking here will be harder. But it's available, that
Mhm. Yeah, even that image of walking with a child walking with a parent who walks just a little bit ahead and holds your hand, you know, and doesn't just push you.
Carol, thank you so much. This has been really positive and fun, and I believe we have helped to some people as they hear part of your story and the things that you're passionate about and the kinds of, values that we've been discussing here today. And these topics that as people consider their lives and their 📍 careers.
So thank you for being with us today.
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