As the first in her family to pursue a higher-level education, freshman Daisy Turney is breaking tradition. Turney is a member of the Old German Baptist Brethren church.

Students may have spotted Turney on campus due to her attire, which she calls “the uniform.” The uniform is required for women in her culture to wear. It consists of a long dress with long sleeves and a head covering.

“We wear the uniform to be modest,” Turney said.

The head covering Turney wears symbolizes that she chooses to be in the church and she has submitted herself to God’s will. She does not have to wear the head covering at night, but some women in the church do choose to wear a scarf to sleep. She also does not wear her uniform to bed, and her pajamas are similar to those worn by other students.

Some may wonder if the uniform restricts Turney from doing typical summer activities.

“We swim in the uniform,” Turney said. “The clothing does not make it difficult to swim.”

Turney does not wear jewelry because her religion believes that everyone should be equal, and jewelry can signify someone’s wealth. This also means that church members do not wear engagement or wedding rings.

Her religion restricts Turney from watching television or listening to music. She does have a phone and laptop, however, and she uses her laptop specifically for school.

Turney started reading at a young age, which fueled her love of learning. She learned about Baker at a college fair and toured that summer. She had also looked at a few other schools before committing to Baker.

“The representatives were very professional, which was a big reason of why I came here,” she said.

Turney said her family has been very supportive, but some of the members of her church do not agree with her decision to get a higher education. She added that she is not aware of any church bylaws stating that members should not pursue a higher-level education.

“I want to give back.” Turney said. “I have been given a love for learning, and I need to pay it forward. College education allows me to do that.”

While at Baker, Turney said she has felt very accepted and comfortable on campus.

Turney’s suitemate, freshman Julia Sanders, said that living with Turney is different, but not in a bad way.

“We had to learn to live with someone who has stronger religious beliefs than we do,” Sanders said.

Freshman Hannah Greer is Turney’s roommate. Greer believes that it has been a learning experience to live with Turney and see a different type of upbringing.

Both Greer and Sanders said that they have not had to change how they live at all to accommodate Turney’s beliefs.

“If I’m listening to music, I’ll use headphones,” Greer said. “We learned how to respect her beliefs.”

Sanders said that she admires Turney’s ability to break out of her shell and come to college while keeping her beliefs.

Turney said that she is not afraid to answer anyone’s questions. She would rather people ask her than have false assumptions about her lifestyle.

“I want to set an example that girls should go for what they want,” Turney said.