Mrs. Melissa Kuhnell ’93 Davis

Melissa Kuhnell ’93 Davis and her husband Brent Davis ’93 are truly elated that their children are attending Asbury.

Their daughter Haleigh ’20 is a double major in Recreation (with an emphasis in Adventure Leadership) and Communication (with an emphasis in Public Relations). Davis’ second daughter, Kyleigh ’21, is a Pre-Occupational Therapy major and is currently considering adding a second major in Equine, French or Biology. It’s Asbury’s academic excellence that has challenged Davis’ daughters scholastically and given them the opportunity to pursue multiple fields of study during their undergraduate careers.

Aside from the fact that Asbury is her alma mater, Davis is ecstatic that her children chose to study here for so many reasons. Asbury has provided a safe space for Davis’ children and thousands of other students to grow in faith, scholarship and community.

“We are just tickled that they are, one, in a safe environment — it’s a safe campus and safe community,” Davis said. “They are encouraged in their walk with Christ. Their walk will be strengthened and there are life-long friendships that develop there. It’s a safe place to excel and grow, but it’s also a safe place to fail and to learn, to be challenged and not necessarily be successful that first time but to keep at it. We love that the professors share their faith. They care about their students, they challenge their students and encourage them when they are facing challenges. We love the community at Asbury.”

Haleigh and Kyleigh both attended Asbury as Asbury Academy students during high school, but while Kyleigh wanted to go to Asbury from a young age, Haleigh wasn’t always so sure. It wasn’t until her senior year of high school when she was set on choosing another university that something clicked. She was making her final of four visits to the other school when she felt in her spirit that it wasn’t the right place for her. So, Davis recommended that she do one final Asbury visit.

“She felt like she knew Asbury from being an Academy student, and I said, ‘Just do a final visit and add it to your list or cross it off your list for good,’” Davis said. “And she did that weekend visit and was hooked. So, she’s tickled to be there even though it was not her first plan. Last week, she was saying it’s her best plan.”

Haleigh and Kyleigh’s Asbury educations are preparing them to impact the world for Christ, even as they interact in the world as college students.

“I think that they are learning to be comfortable in their own story of who they are in Christ and who they are going to be in Christ,” Davis said. “They’ve become more comfortable and confident in sharing their testimonies and seeing how God is really going to work in their lives. I think that they will definitely carry that with them and I’ve seen it already as they’ve gone into the workforce, not their real-world jobs, but their get-through-college jobs.”

Haleigh and Kyleigh are even using what they’ve learned at Asbury to impact middle schoolers as life group leaders in their church.

“I’ve just seen great growth, maturity and leadership in them and I think that’s a big part of who they are in Christ and what they can do right now to impact the middle schoolers that they’re working with and the co-workers that they have when they’re out in the world,” said Davis.

What does Davis say to other parents whose children are considering Asbury?

“Visit, check it out fully and know that you can send your kids off with full confidence that they are in a place where they are going to be challenged and nurtured,” Davis said. “They’re going to hopefully reach their God-given potential through the difficulty and the community that’s there at Asbury. We’ve seen them both blossom in different ways and are beyond thrilled that they’re there and that they’re thriving. We’re really proud of who they are growing up to be within that environment.”