Senior Sunday: Jenna Helmkamp

By Esther Fultz

Jenna Helmkamp is a senior nursing student at Cedarville University. She has enjoyed her time here at Cedarville and appreciates the ways her education here has allowed her to learn, grow, and connect with others.

For Helmkamp, two of the most impactful things about Cedarville have been her friendships and her professors.

“I feel like Cedarville is a great place to cultivate godly friendships,” Helmkamp said. “I never really had that before I came here. The little memories like the conversations with my friends or going on walks around campus or catching up over lunch or coffee are what really stand out to me. I also feel like my professors really truly care about me. I feel like I can always come to them if I need something.”

Helmkamp also appreciates the fun activities Cedarville offers for students. 

“They always have something to do and I’m never bored,” Helmkamp said.

To make the most of their time at Cedarville, Helmkamp would encourage other students to get out of their comfort zone, say yes to new things, and make time for fun amidst the busyness of school.

“Be open to doing fun things because it can be so easy to be caught up in schoolwork and always busy with school,” Helmkamp said. “School will be there, but this is a really short time in your life and pretty soon, you won’t be here so it’s really important to dive deep into your friendships and to have fun.”

Helmkamp doesn’t know exactly where life after graduation will take her as she is currently waiting to hear back from PA programs her husband applied to before they make a decision on where they will live. She hopes to pursue nursing somewhere in the mother-baby world, ideally labor and delivery or NICU, and would be interested in going to nurse practitioner school in the future. 

Wherever she ends up, Helmkamp believes Cedarville has prepared her well.

“I’ve grown in a lot of ways at Cedarville, I’m definitely not the same person I was when I came here,” Helmakmp said. “It might sound cliche, but my relationship with the Lord has grown so much through experiences I’ve had here, and just a lot of things that have really geared towards furthering it.”

Esther Fultz is a senior Social Work major and the Off Campus Editor for Cedars. When she’s not writing or editing for Cedars she enjoys thrifting, making coffee, exploring new places, and spending time with friends.

Photo provided by Jenna Helmkamp