Get to know your RD - Levi Fraser

Posted: August 13, 2014

Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Levi Fraser, RD of Glen Manor, to get an insight into the kind of person that he is. This is how our converstation went.

(Spencer in bold, Levi in regular text)

Levi, where are you from originally?
I was born in Salmon Arm, BC but I grew up on Vancouver Island in Courtney, BC.

How did you get to Briercrest from there?
I finished high school and then travelled across Canada, literally every province except Newfoundland, and then after that that year I went and did a YWAM DTS in Saskatoon. My parents had moved to Saskatoon from Vancouver Island and so I wanted to be close to them, so I went to school in Saskatoon and did a semester in Pakistan as well where I was teaching English. That's when I fell in love with teaching, so it encouraged me to get a degree to teach English as a second language; that brought me to Briercrest because we have one of the best programs for applied linguistics.

That's so great. Did you graduate with that degree?
I graduated this past year (2014) with a degree in Applied Linguistics, TESOL with a minor in Global Studies.

What are you most excited for in the year to come in your new job?
Well, it's been sweet because I was working with Glen Manor last year as an RA so I've already got a relationship with about half the guys in dorm, with the other half being new students. It's sweet that i can continue this discipleship process with the students from last year. We've got some continuation going on and a leadership team that has experience with these guys.

What is your vision for your Glen Manor this year?
I've heard it said that most of the time we don't see big changes in people's lives in this job. That was tough to hear because I'm a big, visionary type of person. In Glen, we saw the opposite last year, we saw such a big change in the hearts of our guys and it's sweet to see people grow in their faith. Each person means so much, and when you have 20 of them, it's like you have 20 little brothers that are all growing in their faith which is awesome! For this year, we're going to be thinking big right from the get go and seeing where God can take our dorm, and seeing where these leaders and our students will be pushed.

Totally unrelated, but, what's your favourite movie?
Uhh.. I don't know if I have a favourite movie... there are so many good ones. Miss Congeniality! I'm a Sandra Bullock fan. I'm not great with movies though... can I do TV shows?

Yeah! Do your top 3 TV shows.
Okay, definitely Modern Family. By far. I'm really into Pretty Little Liars right now and Fresh Prince. Those are some good ones. The Office, Community... all classics.

So good! What's the best part about dorm life in Caronport?
I'd say the best part is that each grouping of students can be its own community. We've divided all the students up so that each community can grow, so its not too big, not too small. We have the right number of people so that we can come together and grow as a family. I found that growing up as I entered the dorm; in a sense, you're growing up into this family. You go from your family into a new one, not that we should forget about our old ones!

Hypothetical question: You have $10,000 to spend on yourself, what would you do with it? You can also include your wife, because you're married.
$10,000... We would probably take some of that money and go for a third honeymoon. We'd probably get a new car too. That's what we'd end up doing.

Very solid answer. Are you a cat or a dog person?
Um, a little bit of both. I don't like cats when they shed or claw at you, but I don't like dogs who are big and bark. Dogs are more fun, but cats are more cuddly...

So, a combination of both would be great for you. A catdog.
A catdog that didn't shed or bark.

We have the technology. What's the craziest thing you've done as a student?
As a student, I have travelled all the way to the middle of nowhere in China and eaten pig hoof. I've also eaten donkey.

That sounds delicious. What's the best part about your job?
The best part is that I absolutely love it. It's what I love doing. Another really big benefit is that I'm working with some of the most amazing people. I work with my wife and a couple of my best friends. Who could ask for anything better? I also have a sweet office.

What's the sport you're worst at?
Probably javelin or something. Maybe football, but that's a team sport. I'm pretty bad at it. Tennis seems really difficult. Maybe golf.

How bad are you at golf?
Well, I've never golfed so I'm sure I'm terrible.