Jerry Unser
Jerry Unser got lucky. The Long Beach, California, native had a friend in the United States with family connections to Avondale College. That helped him get a student visa. By the end of his year at Avondale, Jerry had met Karen Schubert, who would become his wife.
Jerry and Karen married in 1979. They have lived and raised their children—Carrie Lee and Mikelle—on a 67-acre property in the Gold Coast hinterland since 1985. The Unser’s share the property with Karen’s parents and sister’s family. The extended support is not only a benefit but also an adventure—Jerry and Karen are now raising their granddaughter, Ava.
Jerry is a co-founder of STORM Co, which in 1993 sent its first teams of trained young adults to work for, learn from and encourage local communities. He continues to lead several STORM Co teams to rural Queensland each year.
After completing his education degree in 1983, Jerry began working as a physical education teacher for what is now the Department of Education and Training in Queensland. In 1988, he joined Emmanuel College, for which he now continues to work as a student counsellor.
Jerry’s professional interest lies in developing mentoring and resilience programs in education—he graduated from La Sierra University with a master’s in counselling in a degree coordinated by Avondale. He plans to begin a doctorate in the development of a service learning model for the equivalent of Emmanuel’s STORM Co trips.
The class of 1995 honours Jerry for the physical, mental and spiritual support he continues to give to young adults.
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