From the chapel stage performing with New Song, Geneva’s musical ministry group, to late night rounds as a resident assistant (RA) in Young Hall, Peter Samuelsen ‘27 stays busy across campus. A junior studying mechanical engineering, Peter has been a faithful student at Geneva since day one, where he has dedicated himself to living the Christian life. “I just desire to do something good for campus generally,” he says.

Born in Hawaii, Peter's journey to Geneva has not been a simple one. “We moved around a lot when I was a kid,” he says, “But we always found a good Presbyterian church to go to wherever we were, so that was a big factor coming here. There was also the fact that Geneva is really good to military families, so that helped a lot.” Coming from a military family, Peter found Geneva to be an especially stable and welcoming community, while also providing excellent financial aid. Geneva is a top ranked military friendly school, earning the 2026-2027 Military Friendly® School designation in the top 10 for the gold level.

After visiting several other Christian colleges in his senior year of high school, Peter settled on Geneva as his academic home for the next four years. “It felt very welcoming,” he says.

Peter soon found that the College abounds with opportunities to learn from excellent faculty in a wide array of fields, to connect with a deeply rooted faith community, and to serve others. Peter mentions not only engineering professors as formative, but credits faculty and staff members with whom he has learned outside of his primary field of study, including President Calvin Troup, PhD and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies Byron Curtis, PhD. Peter says, “Even hearing things that they’ve said has helped me grow. Dr. Troup, with the honors class I took with him, has shaped me. Dr. Curtis, I never even had him for class, but he has shaped the way I think, especially about history and my place in the world. And people at College Hill Reformed Church, not even faculty, but members of the community, because you can’t neglect that, [have shaped my worldview].”

Peter has deeply invested in the college community, especially his hall in the men’s apartments, where he serves as an RA. His choice to join Residence Life came from a desire to serve his neighbor. “I really wanted to be put in a position where I had to do things for others, even when I didn’t feel like it,” Peter says. “It’s been a good experience. I’ve learned so much and grown so much. I’ve built a lot of deep, lasting friendships here, which I think will last probably the rest of my life.”

After he graduates from Geneva, Peter plans to work for a time as part of a naval contractor firm in Philadelphia. “It will be design work, which is part of the reason I wanted to be an engineer. I like building stuff,” Peter comments.

The years Peter has spent at Geneva have deeply shaped him, and he knows the fruit of his education will continue long after he’s graduated. “There’s a lot to learn at Geneva, particularly if you get to know professors,” Peter says. “There’s so many experts on campus, people who want to teach, and if you want to talk to a professor, you can go straight to the source. I’ve learned so much here.”