Whenever I stopped to think about the fact that I was in the process of biking 3,700-some miles across the country, it was pretty mind blowing,” Fiona Smith said in describing her experience of riding her bicycle with the Geneva Across America team this summer.

On May 20, Fiona, a Reformed Presbyterian and 2013 Geneva graduate, along with 8 other supporters, alumni and staff of the college, began a journey across the United States. They rode through 12 states from the Pacific to the Atlantic to raise support for a new endowed scholarship. Geneva Across America also provided the opportunity to experience the wonder and majesty of God’s creation in a special way. “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Isa. 55:12).

“When I was a sophomore, a friend and I started dreaming about someday biking across the country,” said Smith.

This was a dream come true for all of the riders: Jim Andrews, Geneva alumnus; Becky Case, Geneva’s Pisgah Program director; Bob Collins, Geneva alumnus; Christy Coulter, director of Geneva’s academic counseling center and educational support services; Linda Gardner, wife and parent of Geneva graduates; Ed Lenormand, a friend of the college; Dr. Mike Loomis, dean of student development at Geneva; and Laura Zerbe, Geneva alumna. Fiona was excited and on board with the trip from its inception. “Having the opportunity to accomplish this bucket-list goal with a Christian group that I knew, and for a cause that I could totally buy into, made it even better,” she said.

The team pedaled an average of 63 miles a day, with Sundays being their only day of rest. “There really wasn’t such a thing as a typical day, but we’d set out around 6:30 or 7 a.m. and get in to camp somewhere between 3 and 5 p.m.,” said Smith.

Biking across the country had its joys; however, it had plenty of challenges, too. Dedication to training and a love for biking are essential to such a trip. “In a perfect week of training, I’d bike every other day for about an hour and throw in one long ride of more than 20 miles, run on the off days, and lift weights two or three times a week,” explained Fiona. Admitting that she never had a perfect week of training, Smith said she still felt prepared when the trip began.

While the main goal of the trip was to raise money for Geneva College students, the team also put some additional objectives into place. Geneva classes place a large emphasis on creating, understanding, and engaging in community. This emphasis was also present in the Geneva Across America trip.

The team not only hoped to develop and experience community within their group, but also with those they met along the way. “A whole different level of alumni relation occurred through the trip,” said Case. “We really learned the value of maintaining connections with alumni and that they really want to be connected to the students.”

Loomis also commented on the community experience, adding, “We met lots of lovely Christian people along the way.”

While the core Geneva Across America team consisted of 9 team members, the community experience was expanded by inviting others to join portions of the trip. This allowed those who were unable to participate in the whole trip the opportunity to still be a part of the team.

Dr. Kenneth Smith, president of Geneva College and Fiona’s father, was one such supporter. “I was quite taken with the idea from its inception. I used to be a bicyclist years ago, and was excited to take part in this great journey with my daughter,” he said.

Supporting his daughter, as well as the entire Geneva Across America team, was important to Smith. He joined the team for two days, riding 144 miles. “I enjoyed the trip on a lot of levels; my only regret is that I didn’t make time to do the whole trip,” he said.

Although the ride came to an end on July 17, donations are still being submitted. To date, the Geneva Across America effort has raised nearly $50,000.

While the experience of riding across the nation has been crossed off her bucket list, Fiona will never forget one aspect of the trip in particular. “The single greatest take-away, for me, was realizing how central sacrifice is to good leadership and good service. That’s something that I still need to live in too, but seeing it lived out on a daily basis by our trip leaders was powerful.”

—Jessica Driscoll is a Geneva College senior majoring in communication with a writing concentration. In addition to interning in Geneva College’s public relations and marketing department, she currently writes for the college’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA); the Aliquippa Impact community outreach organization; and World on Campus, a web site for college students that presents news from a Christian perspective.