Alumni: Still counts some of her cohort among her closest friends.
Magnolia Smoak
Arriving at Greenhouse in eighth grade, having moved from Brazil, Magnolia found Greenhouse a welcoming place to explore who she wanted to become.
Years at Greenhouse: 2016-21
College: Wheaton College
Degree: English Writing with minor in Theater
Grad School: Wheaton Litfin Divinity School
Employer: Wheaton College English Department
Occupation: Teaching Assistant
Living in: Wheaton
Worships at: Church of the Resurrection
I deeply loved my time at Greenhouse and would not be the same person today without it! When I started at Greenhouse in 2016 I was fourteen, going into 8th grade, and had just moved from our mission field in Brazil. I knew next to no one; and Greenhouse immediately became such a home, and place for me to explore who I was and who I wanted to be. I had the blessing of having the absolute best cohort in Rhetoric. We all became such good friends that we would hang out and study at the public library most days of the week! I still count some of them among the closest friends I have. I even roomed with two of them for two years in college. (Shout out to Eliana and Charlotte!)
In junior year of Rhetoric we studied the early church fathers and mothers, and that set me on a path towards church history. I am now in grad school studying it and looking towards getting my doctorate! My deep knowledge and love of history, literature, and the classics is due to my time at Greenhouse. It made me love learning so much that I can't imagine my life without being a student. I loved my time there dearly, and truly hope it can be a place of growth, challenge, and community for others like it was for me!
-Magnolia Smoak