A Leap of Faith

Students are the highlights of our campus, bringing different stories, cultures, and languages. 

Some have enrolled because they have a business idea but they don’t know how to implement it yet. Others came for qualifications with the goal of getting their dream jobs. In both scenarios, having someone to guide them through their decision-making process is invaluable and provides insights into students’ progress. At Cumorah Academy, we treasure these moments when students interact with mentors.

Having an inquisitive mind and a willingness to learn are critical for their success. Regardless of their objectives, joining our program is a leap of faith.

To increase our students’ faith in themselves, we welcome a dear couple who had previously joined us as mentors to support these special young adults from different countries. Russell and Samantha Ford believe in the potential of this generation to do good not just in the short term but also in the long term. They have experience in teaching, leading, emotional resilience, business, and leadership. 

Everyone needs a mentor

Russell Ford knows beforehand the importance of a mentor in one’s life. He graduated in Law and French at the university and decided to follow his father’s footsteps to start his own company. Consequently, Russell has been teaching students the importance of having someone as a mentor when starting a new page in life. He genuinely believes every person needs someone whom they trust to mentor them along a new decision. 

Samantha Ford is passionate about teaching. She found it very rewarding to teach people who hadn’t previously had good experiences. Samantha loves building a relationship with their students and cares about their progress, and bringing this unique experience to our campus has impacted our students thoroughly.

Furthermore, the Fords are not only inspiring students on campus but also alumni. The definition of alumni is a former student of a school, university, or college. Cumorah Academy is also concerned about what students will do with their lives after they leave campus. Russell and Sam have been invited to serve as Chief Community Officers, meaning they will work directly with the alumni.

Russell and Samantha have enough experience as mentors – after a friend from work introduced Cumorah Academy to them, they have been joining us since December 2022 and since then, many students have been impacted by their life experiences and teachings. One student of ours, Icaro, from Brazil, felt inspired by the Fords:

“I’m grateful for the mentors we have because I can talk to people with experience in their profession and their lives. They give me some good advice and reminders to help me navigate the uncertainty of the future.”

Icaro’s words – the uncertainty of the future – summon up the sort of challenges young adults are currently facing nowadays. Aware of this, the Fords have joined us prepared to increase our students’ faith in the future and themselves.

A life full of learning, teaching, and faith

The couple experienced many valuable lessons that taught them about hard work, maturity, teaching, and living with fun. Coming from Leicester, England, Russell and Samantha had to learn to balance work and study in the early university years. They have been married for 23 years and have five children.

 

Both Russell and Samantha had to work hard to achieve their goals. He is a lawyer, and she is a teacher, and they had to exercise discipline to finally start working in their current areas. After graduating, they ended up pursuing different jobs than planned. Having to pursue their career goals meant returning to school and obtaining additional qualifications. It was a demanding process, but both recognized it as worth it. 

Although graduated in History, Samantha teaches people with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties. Such a decision shows how much love she has for people and faith they will get through their stumbling blocks. Russell’s experience as a businessman taught him the importance of trust, diligence, and focus.

This experience has blessed our students wholeheartedly. Alyona, a student from Ukraine, shares how impactful Russell and Samantha have been on her:

“I’m so grateful to meet our new mentors. Their infinite positivity and support give me hope to move forward.”

This is one example of how the Fords have impacted our students: giving them hope to move forward. Hope is a valuable resource, especially when the world is trying to cast darkness upon us.

Facing the future with faith

This loving and special couple from England had a week full of teaching and special moments with students. Hannah, from the USA, loved our mentors and even mentioned one interesting detail about them:

“The new mentors are really cool! They have great ideas and have given great counsel! I also really love their accents.”

Icaro, Hannah, and Alyona were just a few students who felt loved and supported by our mentors. Although they have faced challenges in the past, our students are finding hope with our mentors and are willing to apply their teachings. Russell and Samantha honestly believe our students will succeed as long as they are desirous to live what has been taught in class and face the future with faith.

Check out their testimony:

Written by Fernando L. Ferreira Jr. Supports by Delton Sambo.

Supervision: Kamila Uberto Fullmer.

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