Azusa Pacific University students find that their positive experiences with faculty members is part of what sets their college experience apart from others. Faculty’s dedication to helping their students grow in their respective fields and genuine care for their wellbeing was what influenced Boaz Goss ’13 to become a teacher.
Goss began his freshman year of college at a school in his home state of Texas, but realized that he wanted to go to a school that took a Christ centered approach to education. APU was at the top of the list of colleges his high school counselor recommended. After visiting college fairs to learn more about the university and attending a transfer student event, Goss fell in love with the campus and community. He transferred to APU during his second semester of freshman year.
Originally intending to study physics, Goss graduated as a philosophy major with a double minor in theology and humanities. “I care a lot about the big questions of life,” he said. “Growing up I liked theoretical physics because it related to questioning reality and the purpose of everything. Then I realized that the big ‘why’ questions of life that I cared so much about fell into the domain of philosophy and theology, so I shifted my studies.”
Goss said that his professors were his greatest supporters while at APU. “Rico Vitz had just come to APU when I began enrolling in my major related classes my junior year,” he said. “I took a lot of his classes because he was a great role model that cared deeply about his subject, and he became my mentor.” Goss said that professor Michael Robbins’ passion for reading and truly understanding the Bible was influential for him as well.
During his time at APU, Goss completed a Study Away program: the High Sierra Semester. Forty students and three professors spent time at Bass Lake near Yosemite reading great works of Greek philosophy, medieval theology, and the Bible. “Professor David Williams and the work we did on that trip helped shape me into who I am today.”
His philosophy and theology classes helped Goss to grow in his faith. “APU is where
I made my faith my own,” he said.
I had access to the whole tradition of Chiristian thinkers and the history of the church. Reading books written by people who not only loved God emotionally but intellectually ignited my faith. I realized that I connected with God intellectually first, which means that I want to understand and see His truth and to then share it with others.
Goss also recognized the expansive curriculum of works he read in class as a reason for his strong beliefs. “I love that APU didn’t limit us to reading just the greats of our own traditions, but challenged us to think about what we believe and make it our own which is invaluable,” he said. “Learning about our faith requires understanding what the greater conversation says, how to respond, and how to live in a way that is authentic.”
After graduating in 2013, Goss took a gap year to prepare for the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) and apply to graduate schools. He attended St. Louis University where he enrolled in a healthcare ethics and theology dual doctorate program, and he also earned a masters degree along the way.
Since then, Goss has had various teaching jobs, but after finishing his dissertation in January 2023, he was offered his current job as a teacher at Cassata Catholic High School, a private alternative Catholic school in Fort Worth, Texas. “I consider this job to be the start of my career,” he said. “This is the beginning of my life after academics. My professors at APU confirmed that teaching and scholarship were vocations that God calls you to do, and that it’s important to listen for that call. They worked hard for and alongside their students which showed me that you can do something important as an instructor.” While preparing for the current school year, a pastor came to his school and talked about Jesus being a teacher. “The pastor told us that we as teachers are some of the select few who can point to Christ and say He did our profession,” he said. “Teaching was an essential part of His ministry on earth, and I draw strength from the fact that in Scripture, even Jesus can seem taxed by the things demanded of him as a teacher. I also find solace and rest in that even Christ Himself continually embraced the calling to help people learn.”
Alternative schools specialize in serving populations that are at higher risk of not finishing high school. Over 75 percent of Goss’ students have a learning disability or a home life situation that would potentially keep them from getting their degree. “I keep APU’s ideals of Christ-centered service alive by not only working with students, but praying with them at the beginning and end of every class,” he said. “I’m teaching them what I know, and part of that is beginning with and seeing the classwork as prayer.”
Goss’ methods in the classroom have positively impacted his students which was made apparent when he was recently awarded Teacher of the Year in Fort Worth. Students and families nominate teachers for the award to then be voted on by community members, and Fort Worth Magazine talks to the principals of the highest voted candidates to narrow the list before compiling a new list of the top ten teachers who will receive the award. Goss was surprised to hear that he had won. “My first year teaching was both challenging and rewarding,” he said. “I’m humbled and honored by the award. I want to thank my students and community.”
Even after his students graduate, Goss hopes to be an influential part of their lives. “I would like to see my first class of high school graduates get their undergrad degrees,” he said. “As an alternative school, we serve a lot of populations that don’t go to college, but we’ve had a large number of recent graduates continue their education.” Goss’ school is also working on establishing an alumni network. He believes that school is not just a place to do homework, but somewhere that you grow as a person, and he would eventually love to see how much his students have grown. “APU is where I learned to study, but it’s also where I learned who I am, and I want my school to be like that,” Goss said. “I want my students to look back and say I did school work here, but I also learned about myself, I formed relationships, and school was a place where I saw God at work.”