by Dr. and Mrs. Anthony Busti
Tony and Amy Busti live in Montgomery, Texas, where they are busy raising two more (future) YellowJackets. Tony is an emergency medicine physician and the CEO of a medical education company, while Amy is a homeschool mom in her 18th year of home education. They are the proud parents of Blane Busti, who graduates with honors from LeTourneau next year with a dual bachelor’s in accounting and finance, and Ally Busti, who is a junior at LeTourneau, studying integrated media management. Younger brothers, Caleb and Joshua, look forward to keeping the family tradition of attending LeTourneau when they graduate from high school in 2026 and 2029.
Finding a Home
We read RG’s biography while our son was in high school. What a compelling story! We loved the foundations of the school. We knew several students at LeTourneau and saw the impact the school was having on their lives and how pleased their parents were with the educational and spiritual experiences their kids were having. So, we knew we needed to make a visit.
We knew within a few hours of being there that we had found “home” for our son for college.
All a family has to do is step on campus for a day or two, and they can’t help but feel that LeTourneau is a special place. Families visiting campus will sense how unique LeTourneau is amongst other Christian colleges. There is a palpable sense of authentic Christian community and a very intentional integration of a Biblical Worldview into all facets of LeTourneau life, from academia to athletics to the social opportunities on campus.
We ate lunch in Saga (the cafeteria) and observed how the faculty intermingled with the students, even during lunch. It was neat to see students gathered around professors and engaged in stimulating conversation.
We also saw that the professors not only cared about their own fields of study but also genuinely cared for their students and knew them by name.
My husband and I attended a private Christian college for undergrad, and he has taught on the graduate level at a couple of Christian universities. So, we have seen that not all Christian schools are truly Christian. We expected the same of LeTourneau, but within an hour on campus, we could tell things were NOT that way there. Authenticity, humility, enthusiasm, and genuine care for others emanated from every student, faculty, and staff member we encountered.
Specifically, as home school parents, we were concerned about where we would send our kids once they graduated from our home school. We did not want a college education or environment to unravel all we have attempted to weave into our kids’ lives. The large number of home school graduates at LeTourneau helped make the transition to college easier for our kids. They had a huge network of peers that grew up just like they did. There is a sense of acceptance and “home” for home school graduates on campus. The admissions department was well prepared for dealing with home school parents, as far as transcripts and other aspects of admissions were concerned. This is something we did not experience with any other school. Also, we saw that the faculty knew and understood how to deal with home school graduates and integrate them into collegiate studies.
We wanted a college that would perpetuate our vision for education that we began at home when they were just preschoolers. LeTourneau is a natural extension of our vision for education and the purpose for higher learning—to make Christ known to the nations through every aspect of life, specifically in regard to each person’s calling or vocation. We wanted our kids to receive top-tier training to propel them into their future, but we wanted this training to come from a Biblical foundation. LeTourneau fit all of our desires as parents for higher learning for our kids.
Education, With Honors
Another big draw was the Honors College. My husband received his masters at Oxford University. The unique approach Oxford takes to education (the tutorial model) is something my husband, as an educator, saw as highly valuable. We wish that model was at more schools and integrated this model into our home education. When meeting with Dr. Mason, Dr. Liebengood, and Dr. Johnson, we saw how they were integrating the Oxford tutorial model and sense of community within the Honors College. Right away, we knew this was a place we wanted our son to be, and this type of community is one that he was more familiar with, as we had modeled our education at home in this way.
The Honors College has enriched his life far beyond what we could have imagined. He has a vision for community and work that has been carefully sculpted and honed during his time in the Honors College. We have been jealous of the many seminars he has been able to take! There are so many courses offered within the Honors College that are unique from similar groups at other universities. Additionally, he has enjoyed the traditions and rituals of the Honors College. Being a part of this group has been a life-changer for him, and we know he will spend his life applying all that has been poured into him while in the Honors College.
Meaningful Visits
We love coming to campus and feeling very welcomed there by the students and faculty. It is very clear that LeTourneau not only welcomes but encourages parent and family interaction. The students engage with us warmly and openly. We have loved meeting their friends and listening to the stimulating conversations that take place amongst the students.
We have two younger sons, and the student body doesn’t just “ignore” them, but they engage them in conversation, and even in play! Tree climbing and game playing have happened while our boys are on campus visiting their older siblings. Our older kids’ campus friends talk with and play with our younger boys.
If one of our kids’ friends sees us on campus with our son or daughter, they will come up and introduce themselves and let us know how much they enjoy our son or daughter. This has never happened to other parents we know when visiting their college kids at other schools. The student body is wonderful at LeTourneau! We are thankful for the kindness and warmth.
We also love attending ‘Prayer and Praise’ on Sunday nights when on campus. This is a special time to see the heart of the student body and to sense their earnest desire for the Lord and in making Him known.
The same vibe we received when we first visited LeTourneau has continued with every visit to campus. We thought it might diminish, but it has grown stronger.
An Abundant Academic Experience
We love knowing that our kids are known by name by the faculty. We are thankful they have lived in an enriched community of like-minded students striving for excellence both academically and spiritually.
Dr. Vicki Sheafer, Dean of the School of Psychology & Counseling, was our son’s first advisor. He was uncertain what he wanted to choose as a major but chose psychology as his jumping-off point. Dr. Sheafer assured us she would be praying for direction for our son, no matter where that led. She assured us she would help him find the right field of study, whether that be psychology or something else. This is not something most heads of departments at colleges would say. They want students for their department, and they don’t really care about other departments. That was not the case with Dr. Sheafer. After a semester there, our son knew that psychology was not a fit, and she personally handed him off to a new advisor. Most schools would not go that extra mile.
Our daughter really thought she wanted to stay home and attend college online. But once she saw her older brother at LeTourneau, the community and experiences he was having won her over. So, we scheduled a preview.
When we brought her on her preview event, we got to walk with her and our son to chapel. Every faculty member we passed en route to Belcher knew our son by name. We knew as parents that our son was being personally cared for and discipled by a campus full of godly professors. This made a huge impression on our daughter and “sealed the deal” for her coming to LeTourneau.
Neither of our kids are engineering or aviation majors, so we have seen the “other side” of LeTourneau develop. It is very obvious that much engagement and effort is being made to grow LeTourneau beyond just engineering and aviation. Our daughter is an Integrated Media Management major, and her advisor (Dr. Karl Payton) has helped tailor her education towards her gifting and interests. The school has provided on-the-ground training in her field through work with the Executive Cabinet student leaders as a social media manager, as well as other potential work in her field provided by one of her professors.
Our daughter is interested in more of the humanities and has been blessed by being a member of the Liberal Arts Guild. She has built close relationships with the Guild professors, and we have seen her stimulated, stretched, and enriched academically as part of the Guild. Additionally, she has enjoyed submitting artwork and photography to various student competitions, and she has won several of these. One of her photographs is featured on the cover of the annual “Riveted: Literary” magazine (published by the College of Education, Arts, and Sciences). These experiences would not be as abundant for her in a larger school.
