Meet our Recent MAGL Graduates: Commissional Corner

DBU's M.A. in Global Leadership faculty and staff are delighted to celebrate their December 2020 graduates. Read below and learn more about Anna Gaudencio, Cindy Lopez, Madison Houston, Isabel Álvarez, and Abraão Cifuentes (pictured above). 

Anna Gaudencio

How has the Lord provided for you during your MAGL degree?

God provided my whole journey at DBU. Even before I arrived, God had put people in my life that helped me. One of them was Dr. Thomason, my advisor. He is a blessing in the life of the MAGL students, mainly international students. I could not have asked for a better advisor. God also provided for me financially and spiritually. He gave me the strength to be far away from my family and succeed in my studies. DBU is also a safe and beautiful environment where people treat you well. I always dreamed about studying abroad, and God provided for me, sending me to the best place I could be. That is DBU. 

Cindy Lopez

Do you have any plans after graduation?

My calling and dream is to serve God in a global environment that would allow me to bless and influence people from many nations to join God’s family. It was 2015 while I was completing IEP at Dallas Baptist University when I first discovered this calling to a multicultural ministry.  God brought me back to the U.S. in January 2019 to study the Master of Arts in Global Leadership. Today as I finish my degree, I am thankful to testify that I have received much more than just education at DBU. The program of MAGL was a spiritual journey that gave me clarity on God’s specific calling for me. I see now that I am a non-traditional missionary that will use my education, gifts, and skills with people and in business administration together with global leadership to bless and impact nations to make God’s name known. Therefore, as the United States of America is a country where many cultures converge, I am applying to do one year of Optional Practical Training in the U.S. after I graduate. I am praying that I can find a place where I will find more than just a job; it will be a place where I can apply the call of God on my life to serve and bless others for the glory of God. 

Madison Houston

Why did you choose the MAGL program?

I chose the MAGL program because it checked off all the boxes I had in things I was looking to learn in a master’s program. I looked at a ton of schools and had compiled a list of all the things I wanted, and in the end, DBU is where the Lord led me. Coming into my time at DBU I knew that my end goal was to be a missionary in Africa. This is still true today, and my time in the MAGL has only heightened my desire to do full-time ministry overseas. 

Isabel Álvarez

What was your favorite MAGL class and why?

My favorite class was Biographies of Outstanding Missionaries taught by Dr. Bob Garrett because it transformed my perspective about Global Missions and helped me to reaffirm my calling. Reading all of those biographies and testimonies and understanding deeply what it means to leave everything and suffer because of the cause of Christ was truly a life-changing experience. 

Abraão Cifuentes

Describe how your favorite course has contributed to your career interests.

Transformational Church Life was one of my favorite classes at DBU because of the contents, dialogues with the professor, and the books that I was required to read. However, the main reason to choose this class as one of my favorites is that through this class God spoke to my heart to work with church revitalization. 

December 2020 Graduates

• Isabel Álvarez 
• Alric Amona 
• Anna Gaudencio 
• Madison Houston 
• Roberto Jimenez 
• Cindy Lopez 
• Abraão Cifuentes 
• Letícia Rodrigues 
• Thang Tuang