By Marie Scarles, News Correspondent

Freshman Nicole Swan believes she should have died two years ago.
It was the summer after her junior year in high school, and the first one she spent driving.
‘I completely totaled my car,’ she said. ‘It was right after a thunderstorm and I swerved around a cat. I was heading toward a ditch, did a complete 360 and almost hit the guardrail ‘hellip; I came out with no scratches, no bruises and I didn’t have to go to the hospital.’
Swan believes that she was protected from harm by a guardian angel.
She is not alone.
Several students on campus said they experienced near-death situations in which they felt their protection came from angels.
Shelli Jankowski-Smith, director of Spiritual Life at Northeastern, said this is not uncommon, and not a new concept, either.
‘Generally, the tradition of belief in a guardian angel is most commonly found in Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism,’ she said. ‘I am also aware that the belief in guardian angels has popped up in many new age spiritual traditions over the past several years.’
There is a lot of crossover into that set of spiritual traditions and beliefs, she said.
Susan Setta, an associate professor of religious studies, said the modern interpretation of guardian angels also has roots in Zoroastrianism, the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster, from the 5th century B.C.
‘There were lots of demons [in that faith],’ Setta said. ‘There were bad demons and then there were helper demons.’
These helper demons may be the ancestors of the modern guardian angel that became a part of popular culture during the ’80s and ’90s, she said. Setta’s research has touched on guardian angels’ transition from new age belief into the mainstream.
‘There are a series of books on angels,’ she said. ‘Some people think that the ability to find a parking space is because of a ‘parking space’ angel. Another guy [I read about] thought his ingrown toenail was fixed by a special ‘toenail’ guardian angel.’
Researchers at the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, in Texas, currently study the public’s belief in topics like guardian angels. Every two years, researchers at Baylor carry out a survey that attempts to define the religious values and practices in the United States. The latest survey, in which the results were made public in September, contained questions about traditional religious topics, like church attendance, as well as questions about Americans’ non-standard beliefs. These topics ranged from inquiries on mediation and new-age therapies like hypnosis and guardian angels, to those about belief in Bigfoot and extraterrestrials.
Dr. Rodney Stark, one of the researchers who conducted the study, published a book summarizing the data, entitled, ‘What Americans Really Believe.’ The poll question asked people to respond to the statement, ‘I was protected from harm by a guardian angel.’ More than half of the 1,700 people polled responded positively.
‘I had expected that it would be 8 to 10 percent, somewhere around there. Fifty-five percent was a big surprise,’ he said. ‘It was clear that we were talking about a real experience, not lucky breaks. It opens a new door that many people believe in angels, and it’s not like this is some strange thing out there.’
It isn’t a strange thing for Evan Whetsell, a sophomore international affairs and human services major. He said he feels that he is being watched over by a specific angel, he said.
‘I remember I took a huge fall down some steps. I was supposed to break something,’ Whetsell said. He attributes the save to his sister, who he feels protected him from harm. ‘I should have broken at least four bones, and I didn’t. I always think of my sister as my guardian angel ‘hellip; she passed away. I always feel like she’s watching out for me.’
Michael Rizzo, a sophomore international affairs major, said his guardian angel is also someone that he knows, but she comes in a physical form.
‘I feel like a guardian angel works through people that already surround me in my daily life,’ Rizzo said.
Rizzo and his friend Colette became friends shortly after their initial meeting, and each has served as a support system for the other, he said.
‘She came into my life at a time when I needed her most, and I didn’t even realize it,’ he said
Emotional support and physical protection are both areas where people experience encounters with angels, experts say.
Audrey Jones, a sophomore finance major said she believes she has been a recipient of the latter. She recalled an incident that took place when she was 8 years old.
‘I was sitting in the driveway with my little brother and he knocked the car in reverse. It went back into the street and we live on a busy road, the main street in my town. The guy who would have hit us slammed on his brakes, and the guy right behind him hit him. We both should have been dead,’ she said.
Nadine Denfesor, a freshman political science major, had a clear-cut opinion on guardian angels as a force of good for those who deserve it.
‘I do believe in them. I think that if you’re a strong believer in your faith and you need help, there will be a guardian angel to help you,’ she said.
Some students attribute karma or luck as the reason that they have avoided harm in the past.
Priscilla Kivohara, a freshman business major said, ‘I believe in fate. What goes around comes around and you get what you ask for.’