Paul and Sarah (Muyskens) Ofelt – Class of 2006
Paul and Sarah (Muyskens) Ofelt met while they were students at New Life Academy. After graduation in 2006, Sarah went on to study Spanish and elementary education at Bethel University, where she graduated in 2010. Paul went on to Grove City College, where he studied finance and computer information systems and graduated in 2009.
Sarah taught elementary Spanish at Minnehaha Academy to students ages four through fifth grade for five years before their oldest son, Josh, was born. After becoming a mom, she decided to stay home and focus on raising their family. Sarah is now a busy stay-at-home mom of three.
Paul later went on to receive his masters from the U of M–Carlson School of Management in 2014. He has worked as a Financial Analyst at Malt-O-Meal, Target Corporation in Minneapolis and has held multiple other finance and technology positions. He is currently serving as Lead Product Owner over Enterprise Data & Reporting self-service solutions. Outside of work, Paul enjoys house projects and spending time as a family.
NLA is where Paul and Sarah met each other. They became friends, started dating and fell in love. Now as they are raising their family, they talk about why they are enrolling their kids at New Life. “Many of our closest friendships and relationships originated during our time there. It was where we were encouraged to take up our faith as our own and live passionately and courageously for the Lord,” said Paul. “We truly believe our time at New Life contributed greatly to our success in life after high school.”
We truly believe our time at New Life contributed greatly to our success in life after high school. We were challenged to think critically and ask tough questions, qualities that have served us well in life.
They credit their experiences at New Life for equipping them with a strong work ethic, deep Biblical understanding and foundation, passion for learning, and provided role models as they continued to grow and learn in life. It was these experiences that they wanted their children to have and why they made the decision to enroll their kids at New Life.
Paul and Sarah are grateful for the time spent at New Life that allowed them opportunities to discover themselves and their interests. They got involved with sports, student council, yearbook and other activities. They felt prepared leaving high school and participating in challenging college courses because of the level of academic success expected at New Life Academy. Small class sizes and passionate faculty and staff are two additional reasons that brought them back.
The Ofelts felt that many of the teachers at New Life Academy had a lasting impact on their lives. “Our Bible teachers, Mr. Simmons specifically, taught us that ministry can be found in the mundane. The call to live Biblically and pursue deep relationships with God has just as much of an impact as a high school Bible teacher, a corporate executive or a mom at home changing diapers,” said Paul. “We were challenged to think critically and ask tough questions, qualities that have served us well in life.”
Paul and Sarah are grateful for the time at New Life that they were encouraged to interact with people who held beliefs different than their own. “Our eyes were opened to the world around us as we were taught that it is okay to disagree with someone’s ideals and still treat them respectfully, pursue mutual understanding and deepen learning,” said Paul. “Our teachers challenged us and woke us up to the world around us.”
They truly believe sending their children to New Life is giving them an invaluable gift. “The authentic, Biblical-based culture provides the environment we believe will enable our children to grow both intellectually and spiritually,” said Paul. “While there is an added cost of a private Christian education, we have seen firsthand the amazing benefits it provides and are willing to make necessary sacrifices in order to ensure our children have the same life-changing opportunity we had.”