you a love for Him and a love for His word ,” Chesnut said . “ And pray that out of that , he ’ ll give you a love for people .”
“ If you love God , you can ’ t help but love people ,” she added . “ And I just love these kids .”
Chesnut said she is constantly asking for direction for how to show that love , whether it ’ s through talking with a student , being quiet and letting them speak , offering support through a hard time , or giving them a wakeup call .
“ You stay up late at night trying to figure out ‘ Lord , what do you want me to do about this ?’” she said . “ I ’ ve walked that track I can ’ t tell you how many times , talking . People probably thought I was crazy . But I was just going ‘ Lord , I have no clue , I don ’ t know what to do about his kid . I can ’ t do anything , You ’ ll have to do it . But please give me some sense to know what I ’ m supposed to say or do , if I ’ m supposed to say or do anything .’”
Chesnut calls every student her kid , whether they are related to her or not , and that motherly affection carried over into everything she did while at ABAC .
For many students , Chesnut was the first face they saw at ABAC and set the tone for their collegiate experience , said Trent Hester , a 2016 ABAC graduate who now works as a leadership and engagement coordinator on campus .
“ I met Ms . Penny actually on my college tour here in 2011 ,’ he said . “ ABAC was not on my radar of schools . I was with my Ambassador and during the tour , I told her I sang at my church . She texted Ms . Penny and asked
if she could come meet this recruit and Ms . Penny met me at the end of my tour and talked to me about BCM .”
Hester said talking with her was one of the reasons he decided to come to ABAC .
“ One of the things that characterizes ABAC best is that feeling of home ,” he said . “ Students come from all over the state and all over the country , have never been here before , and within a couple of months they ’ re like , this is where I ’ m supposed to be . Ms . Penny ’ s a big part of that . If southern hospitality had a picture next to it in the dictionary , it would be of Penny Chesnut .”
“ I worked with Mrs . Penny for all of my undergraduate time here at ABAC ” said Shawn Burnette , Coordinator for Student Activities at ABAC . “ I joined the Stallion Society and had an amazing time working and learning from her . She was one of the reasons why I continued and finished my education at ABAC . Because of her , I grew as a leader , an educator , and as a person . She has been a voice of kindness , reason , and love on this campus .”
MAY 2023 | TiftonScene 15