This occasional series features Eastern Mennonite University staff members. Read Staff Spotlight #1 about Lynn Veurink, #2 about Vanessa Derrow, #3 about Betty Lee, #4 about Sarah Gant, #5 about Tony Brenneman, #6 about Jennifer Ulrich, #7 about Brinton Domangue and #8 about Jon Styer.
Christina Harman ’10 works in accounts payable in the EMU business office. As a student here she studied environmental science, then took courses in business and accounting, to prepare for helping with the family dairy farm where she grew up.
She loves to hike – although on one occasion, she writes, she ended up in the wrong county, where she was served lemon pie and given hand-picked mushrooms.
Home and family
I grew up on my family’s dairy farm near Singers Glen, Virginia. I now live with my dog and cat in the same house where I lived as a small child. I have a terrific view of the sunrise from my house, and I love watching and hearing the world wake up. Birds are often most active early in the morning, and I enjoy watching the local barn swallows and tree swallows foraging while I eat my breakfast.
Early summer is my favorite time of year. The garden is all planted, but isn’t out of control yet, and everything is fresh and green, with the whole summer stretching out for the next several months.
I adore my nephew Teddy and my niece Violet, who live with their parents in South Bend, Indiana. My parents, my grandpa, and my aunt, uncle and cousins are also my neighbors, so I see them frequently.
Path to EMU
I graduated from EMU in 2010 with a degree in environmental science. After graduation, I spent a year working for the National Park Service, and then about seven years working on my family’s dairy farm. While farming, I took some business and accounting classes at Blue Ridge Community College to prepare for helping with the farm business.
Dairy farming is all-consuming, and an increasingly difficult industry for a small family farm. I had to admit to myself that I didn’t want to bear the burden of farming for the rest of my life. I told my dad I was going to start looking for a different job, and within a week I saw an opening for an accounts payable position at EMU. Now I’ve been at EMU for about a year and a half.
Simple pleasures
Food is my favorite part of living. I grow a vegetable garden that is too large to manage well, and I grow native flowers for my bird, insect, and spider friends. Every Friday evening I cook supper with some close friends (we’ve been doing this for over 10 years). I run and hike with my dog so that I can eat whatever I want.
I do most of my hiking on private property on Little North Mountain, just behind my house. If I drive to hike somewhere else, I usually end up in Shenandoah National Park. Old Rag is a fun hike, especially if I’m taking someone who has never been there before. The Rose River area just north of Big Meadows has some lovely wildflowers in the spring, and the Laurel Prong area just south of Big Meadows always feels cool and refreshing. I also enjoy hiking at Highland Retreat.
Fun story: During a family reunion at Highland, my cousins and I hiked to Church Rocks, though we had some trouble finding trail markings. I needed to leave early to help with some farm chores, so I headed back down the mountain on my own. I got a little turned around and lost the trail, so I decided to bushwhack down the mountain to Route 259, and walk back to Highland.
I hiked downhill until I hit small road – and when I saw a sign that said “Shenandoah County,” I realized that I was on the wrong side of the mountain. I didn’t have a phone with me, so I knocked on doors until a kind lady let me make a phone call, to let my family know where I was.
While I waited for my ride, she fed me lemon pie and gave me a jar of mushrooms she and her husband picked! Turns out I was about 20 miles from Highland by road.
Two truths and a lie
- I ran a marathon for my 30th birthday.
- I once held a (live) wild turkey in my arms.
- I am a dog person to the core.
Thank you! Your presence is a gift to the whole EMU community.
This is a wonderful write-up. We love Christina, she is my niece! I am proud of her!
Fantastic article, Christina! I love that you have a passion for so many things. Glad you found your way here to EMU. You are definitely a cat person though – we have sen you with Ms. Kitty!