Sharifa Stevens

Admissions Counselor

B.A. in African-American Studies, Columbia University; Th.M. in Old Testament/Pastoral Ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary.

Worked in Admissions since: June 2002-August 2004; June 2008

Thanks for stopping by the Admissions Team page. If you’re looking for someone to walk with you through the questions, fears, excitement and anticipation, my door’s always open (Facebook me!).

Believe me, I can relate. I packed up a van in August 2000 and drove from the bright lights of New York City to the big skies of Texas. It was 115 degrees in the shade, and 50 days into what would be a record-setting drought. I didn’t know a soul. Had no job. Just got an apartment one day before I arrived in Dallas.

Pretty intimidating circumstances proved to be fertile ground for God’s seeds of faith to grow. The priceless lessons I learned about the Lord took place in the classroom, but also as I leaned on Him to find community, a church home, provision, and a sense of worship in the face of the constant temptation to see the Bible as a “textbook.” God helped me to get a life here in Dallas, through both brokenness and blessings.

I am so grateful for Dallas Theological Seminary. My experience here grew me up and equipped me to minister to both the heads and hearts of others. I pray that if it’s God’s will for you to be here, that He will do the same, and much more, for you.

What are your hobbies or outside interests?
Traveling, singing, blogging, walking my dog Ransom, playing ninja video games (especially if I can beat my Supreme Gamer/husband, Jonathan).

What made you decide to go to DTS?
My Young Adult Pastor was really influential in my spiritual growth, at a pivotal time in my life. His incarnational influence, along with the radio and book ministries of folks like Chuck Swindoll and Tony Evans convinced me that if I wanted to delve into studying the Word, I needed to go to where these people were trained.

What do you do on your day off?
Laundry, vacuuming and dishes, usually. DVDs and hair-washing/twisting. And searching for discount travel opportunities. Glamorous, right? Speaking of glamour, you can catch my DTS acting debut on the Admissions page. I got to share a student's perspective on our M.A. programs.

What are your favorite foods?
Sushi, fresh bread & olive oil, Tom Yum soup, curried goat with rice and peas and plantains, avocadoes, mangoes, patties and coco bread, fajitas, cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries, snapper, ackee and saltfish, lychees, fried calamari, Freshly-baked cookies and brownies, chocolate lava cakes, fresh berries, Scalini’s pizza, crab legs, lobster, shrimp, basil noodles, tortilla chips and homemade salsa, a good salad, anything my husband makes...I can go on and on...

What is your favorite television show of all time?
Come on! I can’t just pick one. The Cosby Show, Lost, Battlestar Galactica (current, not from a couple decades ago...yes, it’s good), Scrubs.

What is the best part about working in the DTS admissions office?
Besides bagel break on Fridays? Feeling like my co-workers are my extended family, and getting to meet people every day who are eager to serve the Lord. And the matching shirts, of course.

What is your favorite piece of literature?
Hubby’s letters to me. Anything by Henri Nouwen, Donald Miller, Annie Lamott or Toni Morrison. Oh, the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou was a fundamental book for me.

What is your favorite quote?
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:6-8

What is your favorite musical artist/group/genre of music?
Almost anything with a good beat, U2, Nancy Wilson, Frank Sinatra, The Roots, Common, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Kurt Carr, Tony Curtis, Michael Buble, Richard Smallwood, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, Stevie Wonder, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, Erik B & Rakim, Fred Hammond, Ella Fitzgerald, Donnie Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, Wu Tang Clan, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Cece Winans, whatever my friend Rhea sings, my husband Jonathan’s made-up songs.

What was your major in college?
African-American Studies/Literature.

Who is the person you admire most and why?
I admire the faithfulness of my parents, to God and to their family. They have given me a beautiful inheritance in their example.

Who is your favorite Bible character and why?
Jael, because she brought down an army general with warm milk and a tent peg (Judges 4:18-21). She’s no joke.

If you could have superhero powers, what would they be?
The power to take words back...
or convert pain to forgiveness...
or fly...
or give yummy food the nutritional value of veggies.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
By my husband's side, preferably on a houseboat on the beach in St. John, USVI.