Amish Success Stories
The Pennsylvania Dutch Dialects Project by Rose Fisher
Our next video from the Plain Roots conference is by Rose Fisher presenting on her Pennsylvania Dutch Dialects Project. In addition, this video also has another presentation on Teaching People to Write Pennsylvania Dutch by Rose Fisher and Eythana Miller. With a Ph.D. in Germanic Linguistics and Language Science from Penn State University, Rose joined…
Read MoreHeritage in Translation by Eythana Miller
Today we bring you the second recorded session from the Plain Roots Conference held in Middlebury, Indiana on June 26 and 27. This one features Eythana Miller, who presented on her project Heritage in Translation. Eythana is the Program Manager and Secretary of ADSF. She grew up in Libby, Montana, in an unconventional Amish community…
Read MoreOpening Talk at the Plain Roots Conference
Today we begin bringing you videos from the Plain Roots conference held on June 26 and 27, starting with the opening talk that I gave. Each segment of the conference will have a biography of the speaker or speakers. Here is mine: Saloma grew up Amish in Ohio. She left her community twice — first…
Read MoreYour Support is Needed
Hello Readers, We’re taking a pause from reporting on our conference to let you know we have a record number of applicants again this year… 25 in all. Last year we had a record number at 19, and this year we outdid that number. It is gratifying to know that we are reaching the students…
Read MoreA Mind Set Free: Part 2
Photo: Sharon Beachy’s graduation from SCF A Mind Set Free: Part 2 By Sharon Beachy Upon receiving my GED, I immediately enrolled for my first semester of college at Indian River State College in Vero Beach, FL. Not knowing where to begin, I met with an academic advisor to discuss next steps in my…
Read MoreA Mind Set Free: Part 1
Photo: Sharon receiving her GED diploma from Treasure Coast Technical College in Vero Beach, FL As promised on Thursday, today I bring you Sharon Beachy, our new ADSF board member. Her story speaks for itself, but Sharon brings to the board new, innovative ideas, energy that only a young person can offer, and yet she…
Read MoreHow the Amish Descendant Scholarship Fund was Founded
Today I would like to honor the founders of the Amish Descendant Scholarship Fund, Emma Miller and Naomi Kramer Yoder. With only the eighth-grade education of her Amish childhood, Emma had earned her GED, then began taking college courses at a community college before enrolling at San Diego State University. She writes: “The idea for ADSF…
Read MoreHow an Amish Boy Became a Physicist, Part 3
Leon Hostetler graduating from Florida State University Today we bring you the conclusion of Leon Hostetler’s story. I first knew of him when he was writing a blog more than ten years ago before he started college and he was clearly upset, even bitter, that his schooling had been interrupted after the eighth grade. I…
Read MoreHow an Amish Boy Became a Physicist, Part 2
Photo by Leon Hostetler of his childhood home Leaving the Amish By Leon Hostetler By my mid-teens there was constant pressure from my parents and the larger community to formally join the Amish church. But how could I? The big picture was too fuzzy for me. I was not convinced that the Amish worldview…
Read MoreHow an Amish Boy Became a Physicist, Part 1
Today we bring you the incredible story of Leon Hostetler’s educational journey that took him from his Amish childhood to becoming postdoctoral fellow in the Physics Department at Indiana University. This story will be published in three parts. Early Life By Leon Hostetler As a young boy, I was fascinated with technology. This was…
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