MELENA CARRION
Staff Writer
Endless phone calls are just part of an average day for Geneeva Moore. As the administrative assistant in the Humanities Division, Moore finds herself advising students, catering to professors, and taking care of everyone in between.
Moore has been at Pepperdine for nearly seven years when her husband, Tyson Moore, was an undergraduate religion student at the university. Drawn to Pepperdine’s mission, Moore found herself in a welcoming atmosphere. Coming from a job she hated at an accounting firm in Los Angeles, Moore said this is the best job that she has had.
“It’s conducive to having kids,” Moore said. “Our chairperson Marie Mullins has had kids and she allows me to be there for my kids.” While Moore and her husband split the duties, Moore explained how important it is for her to make it to her son’s doctors appointments or his preschool’s hop-a-thon.
“My favorite part of the year is in the fall, when we get the new freshmen,” Moore said with a laugh. “They come in here with lots of questions, or their parents call with lots of questions.”
On an average day, Moore will direct students toward their professors, advise students on their classes, check and re-check waiting lists for closed classes, as well as run many errands for faculty.
“Some days are quiet and mellow and some days the phones do not stop ringing,” Moore said. “But there is never a dull moment.”
With her calm and friendly nature, it is not surprising that Moore comforts students who come to her frantically worried about their classes. “I tend to talk students down from cliffs,” Moore said. “But even during the busiest times of the year, it is still fun.”
Sophomore Elizabeth Dixon works in the Humanities Division office helping Moore when she can. “She’s a person you can definitely go to for advice,” Dixon said. “I have even talked to her just about my own life.”
The students and the faculty in the Humanities Division rely heavily on Moore. “I have a great deal of admiration for her,” adjunct professor John Peterson said. “She’s able to find a balance between having two young children and being here in a demanding and selfless position.”
Moore’s love for her children is clearly displayed in her office as pictures of 4-year-old Isaiah and 11-month-old Micaiah line her desk. “She is the PTA, soccer-mom, goodie and treats mom all into one,” her husband, Tyson, said. “And all of the kids enjoy the parties. They don’t want to go home!”
With all of the energy that her jobs at Pepperdine and at home require, Moore manages to find time to be actively involved with the youth ministry at her church, Crenshaw Church of Christ.
Aside from regularly attending a Bible study with her husband, Moore serves as a mentor to women of all ages at her church. However, Moore primarily mentors teenage girls.
Billy Curl, the minister at Crenshaw Church of Christ, commented on the impact Moore has on the young girls. “To quote what one of the young ladies said, ‘She has my back,’” Curl said. “I can trust her.”
Moore is passionately committed to all that she does. “She is dedicated to her job, living in Los Angeles and making that commute for the past six years,” Tyson Moore said.
In her spare time, if she can find a few moments, she likes to read and write, “Although, I don’t really get the chance to do either,” Moore added with a smile. “But I like to spend my time with my family.”
Moore has been married to Tyson for 9 years. “She’s dedicated to being helpful,” Moore reflects on his wife. “That’s one of the most endearing things about her.”
The word “caring” encompasses much of who Moore is. “I take care of people all day, whether it’s at my job, in my family, or in the church,” Moore said. “But I don’t mind taking care of people. It’s my calling.”
04-16-2007