An Interview with a CCS Alumna - Jennifer D'Appollonio, Class of 1992

Dawn Snellenberger interviewed Class of 1992 alumna Jennifer D'Appollonio.  Jennifer currently lives in Maine and works as the Assistant to the Maine State Cooperative Extension Specialist.

When Jennifer was an elementary student in a public school, she had difficulty making friends because she was so shy. Her parents were not pleased with the school in her town, so they decided to send her to CCS when she was in fifth grade.  That was the beginning of a new chapter for Jennifer!

Once she started attending CCS, her grades improved dramatically.  She believes the smaller class sizes and the personal attention she received from the teachers were the keys to her success.  She speaks highly of her teachers and their influence on her life. She  credits the teachers with setting good examples of how to live as Christian adults.  A few teachers stood out to her.  Mrs. Kathy Peck helped her have an appreciation of theatre, and Mrs. Kara (Kozma) Connor, her biology teacher, cemented her decision to major in science once she attended college.

Jennifer graduated as the valedictorian of her class.  She feels the small environment at Cornerstone even helped shape her college choice, as she desired a school where she would receive more individualized attention from her professors.  She selected the University of Maine at Machias and majored in environmental science where she graduated in 1997.

In 2002, Jennifer was forced to move back home with her parents due to detached retinas.  She began working at her grandmother’s antique shop in Ashford, CT, where she encountered God in the most miraculous way!  As she was polishing silver, she heard a voice in her ear saying, “Go sit behind the cash register and be still.”

She obeyed, and immediately a full-sized Ford pickup truck came flying through the front window of the building where she had been standing!  She could feel the wind of the truck on her face; after the truck came to rest, she could feel the truck’s grill in front of her.  She was wedged behind the counter and the cash register.  Other than a cut on her cheek and arm, she was spared!  After she survived that ordeal, she knew God had saved her because He had a plan for her life.   She decided to continue her education and pursue her master’s degree in forestry.

Today she has a job at a university where she researches wild blueberries for the state of Maine.  She continues to give to the ministry of CCS as an alumna, because she feels it is critical for students to have the right education from the start.  She strongly believes in teaching kids to live for Christ and feels CCS is able to train children in the way they should go.

We are blessed by Jennifer’s testimony and faithful giving to Cornerstone.  We would love to hear from additional alumni about how God has used CCS in their lives.  Please contact Dawn Snellenberger at dsnellenberger@contactccs.org if you would be willing to be interviewed.