When Jordan arrived at James Madison University, she was a homeschooler, and the only person she knew was her older sister. Jordan knew she wanted her college experience to connect to her roots at Christ Church Episcopal in Richmond, where her dad leads the music ministry.
But she wasn’t anxious, because a few months earlier, at a JMU prospective student club fair, she had discovered Canterbury Episcopal Campus Ministry. It serves JMU, Eastern Mennonite University, and Bridgewater College. She had received a Canterbury postcard invitation over the summer. Almost every day, Canterbury has a scheduled activity; every Sunday, their neighbors at Emmanuel Episcopal serve a homecooked meal. Other times, it offers a quiet escape and a never-empty candy bowl.
“My advice to new students is always, ‘find your people, find your community.’”
Jordan didn’t mind walking the 30 minutes across campus to the Canterbury House, but when the weather turned rough, the family connections strengthened. Canterbury leaders and older students drove to pick up freshmen who didn’t have cars. When younger students faced off-campus errands, the older drivers offered free ride sharing.
“It’s the people that make Canterbury,” Jordan said. “Having such a welcoming environment where everyone genuinely wants to get to know you and wants to support you in whatever you’re doing — being around people like that made it like another home, a family.”
Jordan majored in psychology, thinking she might pursue a career in counseling. The Canterbury community convinced her that fostering strong healthy relationships matter. In her second semester, Jordan had a sudden medical crisis at 4 am. Canterbury’s chaplain, the Rev. Laura Lockey, took Jordan to the hospital. “She’ll be there for you,” Jordan said, “I definitely realized how much Canterbury was family, and how we really are just there for each other, no matter what, no complaints.”
Much later, when her roommate had to move unexpectedly, Jordan and Canterbury friends packed up their belongings. Jordan served on the Canterbury vestry, as event coordinator and senior warden. She graduated in spring 2026 and will return to Canterbury as a graduate student in counseling at Eastern Mennonite University for a master’s in counseling.
“Being involved in Canterbury, I just realized how much I love people, and I really want a job where I’m working directly with the people and have person-to-person experiences,” she said.
“I’m really glad I don’t have to say goodbye to my people,” Jordan added. “Outside of academics, Canterbury was probably the most meaningful thing to me. My advice to new students is always, ‘find your people, find your community.’”