"Vocation is All of That"
Ellie Janda didn’t arrive at Dordt with a clear path in mind. Beginning as an engineering major without a specific emphasis, she quickly found herself questioning whether the field was the right fit.
“I knew I wanted to work directly with people,” the Blue Hill, Nebraska, native says. “For a while, I wasn’t sure if engineering would allow me to do that.”
By the end of her first semester, she considered changing majors. But, as she reflects now, that uncertainty became a turning point.
“The Lord made it really clear to me that I was supposed to stay in engineering—and that civil was the way to go,” she says.
For Janda, civil engineering offered a way to serve others in tangible, everyday ways—designing and improving the infrastructure that shapes daily life.
“I love the opportunity to serve people in the community where you live,” she says. “You’re serving people in ways they don’t even notice, but that really matter.”
That perspective has been reinforced through her time at Dordt.
“The community here is so vibrant—it stretches across majors, grade levels, and even between students and professors,” she says. “Those relationships have been incredibly meaningful.”
During her freshman year, she was paired with a fellow cross-country runner as a roommate, and the two quickly formed a close friendship.
“She’s now going to be the maid of honor in my wedding,” Janda says.
Janda has been actively involved across campus, competing in track, participating in and leading engineering organizations such as Dordt's chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, serving in residence life, and taking part in the Kuyper Honors Program. Along the way, she’s learned the importance of balance—recognizing both her limits and the value of rest.
Her Dordt experience has also shifted how she understands her calling.
“One of my biggest takeaways from Dordt is the idea of vocation,” she says. “Vocation may be expressed through my work, but it’s also lived out in my role as a wife, a church member, and a future parent—vocation is all of that, not just a specific occupation.”
That understanding has helped her grow in her faith as well, particularly through the rhythms she has built during her time on campus.
“Being surrounded by people who are strong in their faith and having those daily and weekly rhythms—like being in Scripture and involved in church—has been really formative,” she says.
This summer, Janda will move to Sioux Falls to begin a position with ISG, an engineering and design firm where she has already completed two internships. She is also engaged to marry a fellow engineering major this fall.
“My time at Dordt has strengthened what I believe and given me confidence in living that out,” she says. “I want to continue to serve God in whatever I’m doing and be part of a joyful Christian community wherever I go.”
