Humans of NGU: Krista DeBiase
Emma Ogren, Staff Writer
Photo by Emma Ogren
From manic Manhattan to tiny Tigerville, freshman Krista DeBiase had to make some big life adjustments when she moved to the mountains.
She wanted a biblically faithful Christian college after being the only Christian in her school in New York.
“I got saved going into 11th grade,” she said. “Whenever someone struggled with something, they would text me and ask me for prayer even though they didn’t even have faith.”
DeBiase has wanted to live in this area for a while now. Originally her plan was to attend Liberty, but after touring North Greenville University and feeling the warm and welcoming atmosphere, she knew it would be the place for her.
It took a while for her to appreciate and understand the patient life that people live in Tigerville. Learning the lay of the land is not always the easiest thing to do.
“I was very confused at first as to why everything moved so slow,” DeBiase said.
She discussed how New York is very different from a little town in the south.
“In New York City when I was walking on the sidewalk, if I was in the way of a biker, they would call me the most outlandish thing,” she said. “And here, people are just a lot more understanding.”
Now that she recognizes the slower speed, she is loving life in Tigerville but still has things back in New York that she misses. DeBiase said that she still has family and friends in New York and enjoys going back to visit them.
“And the bagels and the pizza. I’m so excited to go home and eat one,” she said.
However, there are things about Tigerville that she cannot get in New York.
“My favorite thing about here is how everyone is very Christ centered,” she said.
Since moving here, as well, she said that she can truly appreciate God’s creation.
“We live in the mountains, so it’s really cool that I get to see that cause I don’t often,” she said. “I’ve seen the mountains before but just living in it is very different and the whole quietness about it.”
However, there have also been culture shocks that she has had to deal with as Tigerville and New York City are two very different places. She thought it was weird that on this campus people wear cowboy hats and boots. Soon, she realized that in this place, that is normalcy. DeBiase learned that she was the “weird” one.
According to her, people in Tigerville also communicate differently than the people she encountered back home.
“I did not like everyone said y’all. No one says y’all in New York,” she said. “And it’s a weird, not classy word to use and now I’m using it because it started to grow on me.”
Her faith has been widely impacted by being surrounded by like-minded people as well. She said that at North Greenville, people incorporate Jesus into conversations that you wouldn’t expect, and people do not do that in New York. With this setting she’s been able to fix her eyes on Him.
DeBiase is currently working towards her bachelor’s in business management and plans to open a Christian coffee shop after she graduates. Her parents plan to move to the area next year and she hopes to stay in Greenville after graduation.
