DIANA ESCORCIA - MANAGEMENT
Nicaraguan honed management, missionary skills at Southeastern

Diana Escorcia’s Southeastern story began when she was 10. With only six months’ worth of English lessons, Escorcia did her best to translate for a Southeastern student visiting her church on a mission trip to Nicaragua. Seeing Southeastern students preach in a foreign land made the young Escorcia believe that Southeastern must be a special place—a Biblically-based university, yet a place of adventure.

More than a decade later, Escorcia became a transfer student at Southeastern after her American college in Managua, Nicaragua closed. Even as a business major in Nicaragua, Escorcia felt a call to ministry. She started a Bible club at her college and resolved to set a good example for her peers. At Southeastern, Escorcia majored in business management and missions. Escorcia found her decision-making class with Associate Professor of Management Robert Jerus and her Leader as Communicator class with Southeastern president Dr. Mark Rutland particularly valuable. The decision-making class exposed problems underlying procrastination: fear, being a perfectionist and lack of faith that God will provide. Her Leader as Communicator class inspired her because Dr. Rutland could use experiences from his life to illustrate leadership. Dr. Rutland’s example, she said, encouraged her to fulfill her calling to such an extent that she could inspire the next generation.

Before she graduated, Escorcia also gained managerial experience as a computer lab manager at Southeastern. Escorcia got the job after her supervisor noticed her initiative-taking work ethic as a lab assistant. For two years, Escorcia managed 12 to 15 lab assistants, planning their work schedules, and reminding them of the commitment the position required if their job performance slipped.

Escorcia also received spiritual blessings at Southeastern. Seeing such devotion to God among everyone she met at the university encouraged Escorcia in her walk with Christ. And when she couldn’t attend chapel, she longingly wondered what was taught.

When she graduated in April 2004, Escorcia felt that much was expected of her for all that she received at Southeastern. To whom much is given, much more will be required, Escorcia said, paraphrasing Jesus’ words in Luke 12:48. But Escorcia is heeding her master’s words. She now tends to three ministries in northern Alabama—one in the business world, another at a high school and a third at a church. Escorcia helps Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants buy houses with the firm Money Time Home Mortgage in Fort Payne, AL. She also is a translator at Albertville High School, helping teachers and staff to communicate with the school’s roughly 150 Spanish-speaking students. And most recently, Escorcia uses her management skills to lead youths at her Guntersville, AL church in starting youth groups at other churches in Alabama.

Escorcia said she majored in management because good business skills are crucial to running churches. She majored in missions because the mission field is where she sees the biggest need. Not to mention, it’s where Escorcia got her start: as a 10-year-old translator for a Southeastern student missionary.