Alumni Blog – Page 4 – Indiana Wesleyan University

February 22, 2019

A Spotlight Day was all it Took: Chloe Tatom

By: Kendra Housel

When junior nursing major Chloe Tatom began her college search, she was not looking at Indiana Wesleyan University. IWU was the school she saw simply as her father’s alma mater, where he had gotten his bachelors through the adult program some years prior.

Tatom was looking into a number of other schools when someone came to her high school and gave a short talk about the opportunities at IWU. It was then that she decided to come to the spotlight on nursing day, and that was all it took.

Tatom described the feeling of just “fitting” on the campus, that her visit solidified a confidence in her that this was the place she was supposed to be.

She enrolled in the nursing program, chose a minor in Spanish and moved onto the residential campus in the fall of 2016 to begin her time as an undergraduate student.

Tatom said that her time at the university has been wonderful and full of involvement. The first thing she mentioned appreciating about the school is how invested and caring her professors are. She has loved learning from and with them, and she expressed that the classes she has taken are invaluable in preparing her for her future.

Along with her academic pursuits, Tatom has committed much of her time here to serving the community, both on and off campus.

During her Freshman year, she got involved in the Student Government Association (SGA) and fell in love with the way the group becomes a family. Tatom found SGA to be a tangible way that she could express her love for the larger community of IWU. She had always been involved in student council during her high school years, so it was a natural next step for her in coming to college. The fact that she could participate in SGA and receive a paycheck was only a bonus for her.

The longer she has been involved the more she has truly felt that this has been where God wants her at this point in life, serving her fellow students.

Now, she is currently on the board as the SGA president. One of her biggest goals for the year is to communicate to the broader student body that SGA is there for their benefit, to help and listen to them.

She has spearheaded this initiative by putting up a booth in the mall way on Thursdays, sending out an increased number of surveys to get everyone’s feedback on different events and ideas, and by creating question and concern papers so students can voice their unique opinions.

Along with her outreach to the students, Tatom meets frequently with the administration, including the board of trustees and the president of IWU, Dr. Wright. She serves in these situations as the voice of the student body.

Along with SGA, Tatom also serves off-campus in many avenues. She was a part of a tutoring program at Frances Slocum Elementary School, which is set up to help students whose first language is not English. She spends lots of time working on student’s literacy skills and reading to and with them. She also serves dinners on Wednesday nights at the local rescue mission.

Through the nursing program, she has been fortunate to be involved in many study groups and will get to serve alongside her church on a medical mission trip this March in Mexico.

As she has prayed and thought through possible options to pursue when she graduates, Tatom has been most drawn to pediatric nursing, since working with children is something that she is passionate about. She hopes to work out-of-state in a larger hospital to develop her skill set more intensely, ideally in a children’s hospital. She sees children’s hospitals as a preferable environment, because of the way they are especially geared towards the holistic wellbeing of the child, counting in valuable things like play, comfort, and excitement, along with medical treatment.

Later in life, Tatom hopes to pursue private practice, but not for some time. For now, she is soaking in her last year and a half at IWU, doing the best she can to serve her community, and remaining thankful for the ways God has opened doors for her to get a wonderful education in such a loving environment.

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Written by Kendra Housel, writer for the IWU Alumni Center. Kendra is a junior English and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. She is also a member of the University Chorale. Kendra is passionate about serving Christ through writing, singing and caring for others.

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February 5, 2019February 5, 2019

They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

By: Noelle Beans

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Perform well in nursing school. Work in Residence Life (aka run an entire women’s dorm). Maintain relationships. Figure out where the Lord is calling you. These were challenges that Emily Miller, a 2017 Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) graduate, conquered.

But her initial battle came in deciding where to go to college. Her brother attended IWU, and she didn’t want to just follow in his footsteps.

After a campus visit to IWU, the Christ-centered atmosphere and the great nursing program made it clear to her that IWU was where she was supposed to be.

Throughout college, her schedule was packed. Miller’s job in ResLife ultimately blessed her as she got to meet so many people and spend time with all of them.

She was faced with more challenges from the Lord; therefore, she grew deeper with Him through His teaching and the people who poured into her.

Now, Miller is living and working in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at Spectrum Health at the Meijer Heart Center.

She said, “I work on a Cardiothoracic Progressive Care Unit, and I love it!”

Miller was the ARD of Martin Hall. This is Emily with her RD, Sarah.

She explained that the part she loves most about her job is that she gets to care for people in a difficult and sometimes very vulnerable time of their life.

“God has given me opportunities to pray with patients and encourage them with truth,” she said.

Her prayer every day on her way to work is that her patients would see that this is not just a job for her, but a way that she gets to show them the love of Jesus by the way that she cares for them.

She admits that it is a stressful and demanding job and there are some tough days, but she realizes that she can only continue to have patience and compassion for others with the strength that comes from the Lord.

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Written by Noelle Beans, a writer for the IWU Alumni Center. Noelle is a sophomore Nursing and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College from Greenville, Illinois.

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February 2, 2019

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the John Wesley Honors College

By: Kendra Housel

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In the fall of 1998, Indiana Wesleyan University gained a new academic department, which this year celebrates 20 years of scholarship, growth and community: The John Wesley Honors College (JWHC).

Over the past 20 years, the JWHC has undergone many changes. What began as a program without an official building is now housed on the second floor of Goodman Hall, as well as in Epworth House near the University Court apartments.

The curriculum started as honors college sections of the general education courses, where all honor students could take these courses in any order.

Today, using the curriculum that was finalized in 2012, honors graduates participate in an ordered, supplemental curriculum which replaces almost all general education requirements with specialized classes that seek to form students into more aware, God-centered, people-loving individuals.

One of the founding students in the JWHC is Karen Eilers, who graduated in 2001 with a double major in political science and history.

Eilers, along with having two majors and being a member of the honors college during its genesis, also graduated in just three years instead of the traditional four.

Eilers said that she first heard about the JWHC through a mailing that invited her to apply for the JWHC after she had been accepted into IWU.

She valued the idea of smaller classes, and after taking multiple AP and honors classes as a high school student, she was eager to take on the challenge of collegiate honors. The honors college was largely why Eilers decided to attend IWU.

“Everyone was excited to be a part of beginning a new program,” Eilers said of the atmosphere in the budding JWHC.

“We weren’t sure what exactly we were getting into, but we were up for rolling with it,” she explained.

The collaborative effort between students and professors (like founding professors, Dr. Brown and Dr. Bartley, and current head, Dr. Riggs) to learn what would work and what could be accomplished brought a wonderful sense of community.

Eilers ended up serving as one of the honors college’s first student workers with a job helping to tend the office.

During each of her three years, the office of the JWHC moved locations, but according to Eilers, “Each office got a little better than the last.”

During her final year at the university, the third year of the Honors College, the program secured their own building, just north of campus, and Dr. Riggs took over for the two founding leaders.

The course also began expanding, and the actual degree plan became more solidified.

Eilers was one of the first two students to do the Honors Scholarship Project (then called the Honors Thesis), which was made manageable by communicating consistently with the honors professors and with her mentor in the history department.

Eilers looks back on her time in the JWHC as one offond memories, goofy fun and a worthy challenge. The community was invaluable to her and even helped her discover her passion for working with college students.

She went on to get her master’s degree in college student development, and she now works as a Career & College Counselor in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

Eilers also owns her own company, Motivated Careers LLC, and also works with University Funding Professionals LLC to counsel high school and college students about possible career and education paths.

She also has a book which came out in December called Find Your Fit, which Eilers said is meant to help students understand how God made them so they can make wise decisions for their lives! Here is a link to view her book on Amazon: http://a.co/d/2PAhTce.

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Written by Kendra Housel, writer for the IWU Alumni Center. Kendra is a junior Education and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. She is also a member of the University Chorale. Kendra is passionate about serving Christ through writing, singing, and caring for others.

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January 31, 2019January 31, 2019

Quite the Journey: Mauleen Ndlovu

By: Dezaray Barr

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Mauleen Ndlovu, photo contributed from Facebook

Mauleen Ndlovu, an IWU student, spoke at this year’s Indiana Wesleyan University Scholarship Luncheon in October, and her story is one that continues to impact our community.

Her full name is Gugulethu Mauleen Ndlovu. Gugulethu means “our precious one,” and Ndlovu translates to “elephant”.

“Now that you know the meaning of my first name and the translation of my last name, feel free to call me ‘our precious elephant’ from here on out,” Ndlovu said during her speech at the scholarship luncheon, sending a wave of laughter through the crowd.

Ndlovu, a junior computer science major, is originally from Zimbabwe.

She came to the United States as a first grader and grew up in Chicago.

“Getting to IWU was quite the journey,” Ndlovu said. “When I started thinking about the possibilities of college during my junior year of high school, I was ecstatic.”

Like many students, Ndlovu was looking forward to going away to school, becoming independent, and starting a new chapter in life.

“I soon discovered that college is expensive, and I feared that I would not be able to go to the school of my dreams due to finances,” she said. “My family did not have the means to send me to college and continuing my education would be a challenge.”

Because she wanted to continue her education at a Christian institution, Ndlovu knew that her choices were even further limited.

Ndlovu knew of a few people who had attended IWU, and she prayed about the decision a lot.

“[Those I knew] praised IWU for their academics, culture, and the community,” she explained. “By God’s provisions, I was able to start my new chapter at Indiana Wesleyan University. It has been through the generosity of donors that I am able to continue my education and grow in my faith on this campus.”

On IWU’s residential Marion campus, Ndlovu has found a great community and a great group of friends.

“I have developed close relationships with my computer science professors and with professors outside of my department,” Ndlovu said during her speech. “The staff at IWU loves to see the students grow, and they genuinely care about each student’s well-being.”

She said that the community and the encouraging culture is what sets IWU apart, making it different from other universities.

Ndlovu has also had numerous other opportunities on campus. During her sophomore year, she had the privilege of being a teacher’s assistant for a life calling class.

Ndlovu also currently volunteers in the Upward Bound program as a math tutor for underprivileged high school students in the community.

She continued, “In my department, I serve as the vice president of the Association for Computing Machinery, also known as ACM. In ACM, we seek to gain understanding of technology, learn how to use available technologies, tackle technological challenges, and prepare for the future of computing.”

This year, Ndlovu works in the financial aid office on IWU’s residential campus, and she said that they have helped her in multiple ways.

“There’s been some terms that are confusing for my dad [because he’s from Zimbabwe], and the financial aid office has been extremely helpful in that situation,” she said.

As Ndlovu ended her speech at the luncheon, she wanted to thank the donors in attendance.

“Generous donors, like you, have allowed me to do immensely more than I ever imagined and it’s through them that I am able to continue my education here and be so heavily involved on campus,” she said.

“My education at IWU is allowing me to follow my dream of becoming a software engineer. Through my department and this community, I have learned to embrace working with others and asking for help in a Christ-centered environment, so that I can be prepared for when I leave IWU and venture out in the world,” Ndlovu finished.

She continued, “If it were not for IWU, I would not have grown closer in my faith with a group of students and professors who constantly love, support and cheer for me. I would also not have discovered that my life calling is helping others and being the light of the Lord in my major.”

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Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the IWU Alumni Office. Dezaray is a senior Strategic Communication, Journalism and Honors Humanities triple major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. Visit Dez’s website at www.dezaraybarr.weebly.com.

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December 11, 2018January 8, 2019

2018 IWU Alumni World Changer: Dr. Marvin Hinds

By: Dezaray Barr

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What do Indiana Wesleyan University’s nursing program, the United States Air Force and the defibrillator have in common? Dr. Marvin Hinds.

Dr. Hinds is Indiana Wesleyan University’s 2018 Alumni World Changer. He was also a recipient of IWU’s 1988 Outstanding Achievement Award and IWU’s 1990 Distinguished Senior Alumnus. But you would never know it from him — he’d rather talk about his church, latest woodwork, his decades of students, or his grandkids.

Hinds attended IWU (at the time Marion College) and received his bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education in 1951. After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force. He was stationed in Mississippi, completed the Air Force’s Radio Operator course, and then taught electronics in the program.

He was an Air Force Staff Sergeant and was awarded the National Defense Service and Good Conduct medals. Few people amass as many awards in a lifetime, and his career was just beginning.

Hinds went on to attend Valparaiso Technical Institute, and he began working at the prominent M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston,Texas, televising cancer surgeries. He moved on to research at Baylor College of Medicine, also in Houston.

After witnessing medical students pursuing their medical degrees, Hinds himself was inspired to return to school. He received his own Ph.D. in Veterinary Physiology from Texas A&M in 1971.

It wasn’t long afterward when Hinds Marion College contacted him to help launch its nursing program, a program that is now ranked as the No. 2 nursing school in the state.

Hinds taught for 23 years in the Department of Biology, also serving as the Pre-Med advisor for students.

A remarkable part of his research journey — some say Providence at work — is what happened nearly simultaneously with his move. His entire research team at Baylor College of Medicine moved to Purdue University in West Lafayette, where he was invited to join—working on defibrillation research and the defibrillator.

Hinds spent the next 15 summers working with this team, improvingthe defibrillator, lessening the traumatic effects it has on the heart. This research has saved millions of lives and permanently changed the future of medicine and technology.

“My first love was research,” Dr. Hinds said. “When I got the opportunity to serve with this research team, I knew that it was God rewarding me for being obedient.”

Dave Hinds, Marvin’s son, said, “Dad would be very honored and humbled by this award. He was an educator. He felt it was his calling. Several times he told me how blessed he was to have the opportunity to influence the young people he came in contact with as they prepared for their own life’s path. He set the bar high, but tried to help all that he could over it. As I reflect back on Dad’s life and the things he taught me that shaped and changed my world, I’m thankful to have Christian parents and the opportunity to call him my Dad. It means a lot to our family to have him honored in this way. Thank you for adding this to our cherished memories of Marvin.”

Marvin passed away in June, after giving much of the last few years of his life to wife and nearly life-long friend, Hazel Lavera Rush. Shewent to be with the Lord a few months earlier than Marvin, in January 2018.

Marvin’s daughter, Kay Alter, now works in IWU’s Office of Development as the associate director of prospect research (and her colleagues recognize she has the same uncanny love for numbers and logistics as her father, and brilliance).

“Dad would be honored and humbled by this award. He was always quick to recognize any success he had as a result of staying in the will of God,” Alter said. “His first love was research, but in 1973 when he felt the Lord directing him to leave Texas A&M and the research he was doing to come back to Marion College, his alma mater, to teach Anatomy & Physiology so they could start the four-year nursing program, he did so without looking back.”

Hinds volunteered in the Marion community by serving on committees and leading his church’s senior adult group. He volunteered in that capacity for nearly ten years. You can also find his woodwork in various places, including some of the altar pieces at College Wesleyan Church, crafted in part from repurposed wood from former Teter Hall — once the southern anchor of “the Triangle.”

Before passing, Marvin said, “Marion is a nice friendly city. I enjoy the community and activities here.”

Alter, who graduated from IWU in both 1982 and 1996, said, “My brother and I are proud of the accomplishments of Dad and for him to receive this award. Most of all we are thankful for the blessing of a godly dad and the life he lived. The legacy he left us … to always seek God’s will.”

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December 5, 2018

Giving Back: Psychology in Adoption

By: Noelle Beans

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Jana Hunsley at her IWU graduation in 2013

The Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University strives to help children who suffer from the effects of early trauma, abuse or neglect. The institute accomplishes this by researching these children’s needs to help them overcome challenges – social, behavioral and emotional.

As a sibling to seven adopted children, Jana Hunsley, a 2013 graduate from Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU), has found her place pursuing a PhD at this remarkable institute.

However, her journey began at Indiana Wesleyan. Due to her family’s composition, Hunsley had always known she wanted to study psychology at a Christian university in order to become a post-adoption therapist.

IWU also offered an honors program, The John Wesley Honors College, which challenged Hunsley academically. That, in combination with the Holy Spirit’s confirmation, led her to call IWU home.

“I fell in love with IWU right away,” Hunsley said. “I tangibly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit on campus, and it was like nothing I had experienced in a place previously. During that campus visit, I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me this was the place I was supposed to be.”

This proved to be true as Hunsley met friends who challenged and encouraged her during her time as a Wildcat.

She also met professors who recognized her potential.

She said, “The professors are truly one of the biggest reasons I’m doing what I am doing with my life today.”

The constant support of the faculty at IWU was unexpected. The professors assisted Hunsley in seeing all of the plans God had for her if she would be faithful in her walk with Him.

Professors Dr. Runyan and Dr. Steenbergh were two of the professors who had a lasting impact on Hunsley’s life.

Drs. Runyan and Steenergh invited Hunsley to be a part of their research team. They encouraged her to pursue a career in psychological research.

Although Hunsley became a clinician first, she attributes her courage to step into a research PhD program to their guidance during her undergraduate studies.

According to Hunsley, for the children of God there is power in psychology. Runyan has echoed this belief by stating that research is integral to a Christian university as it will shape tomorrow, influencing textbooks, popular media and the way our culture thinks and lives. Due to her conviction and Runyan’s influence, Hunsley integrates this dynamic into her work daily.

“All that I am doing with my life is because it is exactly where God has told me to go and what He has told me to do,” said Hunsley. “Through my experience of being a sibling to seven adopted children, God gave me skills and experiences to help other adoptive families. He made it very clear that He created me to bring hope and healing to families that have had experiences like my own. My career is just a manifestation of the work God puts in front of me to help adoptive families.”

Hunsley continues to work in ground-breaking research, learning how to care for foster and adopted children.

This research has spread all over the world to enable these vulnerable children to heal. Hunsley has the opportunity to further this work by researching the effectiveness of their intervention, Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI).

Hunsley also researches the effects of TBRI in different cultures and settings around the world and finds ways to specifically help adoptive siblings adjust well to their families’ adoptions.

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November 27, 2018November 27, 2018

Multiplying Good with Generous Coffee

By: Dezaray Barr

On most Monday nights, you can walk into any girls dorm on Indiana Wesleyan University’s (IWU) campus and find a pod of young women giggling at the TV or scrolling through their phone during commercials.

What’s so special about Monday nights? The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, of course!

While IWU students may follow these Bachelor celebrities on Instagram and watch them from the cozy lobbies of their dorms, Maddie Short, an IWU alum, gets to work with these very people every day.

Short graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) in 2017 with a degree in strategic communications from the IWU Division of Communication & Theatre.

Luckily, IWU connections never fade, even after graduation.

Short said, “In January, a fellow colleague direct messaged me an Instagram post about an organization that needed a videographer to go on a trip in a couple of weeks. I was on a break at work when she sent me the post, and only had 15 minutes, so I figured, what the heck, and emailed them my website link. A couple days later I received an email telling me I had moved on in the selection process for the trip!”

Short continued, “I ended up getting the position to go on the trip to Honduras and went down a couple of weeks later to do video for both Humanity and Hope United and Generous Coffee. My experience on the trip caused me to come back with a heart to serve. I offered up my time for volunteering, and one thing led to another.”

Ben Higgins, a previous contestant on The Bachelor franchise, is the Founder and President of Generous Coffee.

He ended up offering Short a job as the first employee of Generous Coffee — which she was not expecting at all!

She said, “I quit all my other jobs to work full-time for them.”

Generous Coffee is a for-purpose business that aims to make the world better with every business decision. They do this by selling products that are designed specifically to create and multiply good in the world.

Although Generous Coffee is best known for their specialty grade coffee, they also sell shirts, bracelets and necklaces. They then invest 100% of their profits back into non-profits and other social causes.

Whether it is creating jobs for parents, feeding children or improving education, Generous Coffee wants to create a world we all want to live in, because they believe in the unique value of every human being. The Humanity and Hope United Foundation fits into this, because right now they are the main beneficiary of Generous Coffee, where all the profits go back to.

Short explained that this position working with such influential people wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for her education at IWU.

“I found out later that there were over 350 people who applied to do video/photo on the trip,” Short said. “One of the reasons I was considered for the trip that led me to my current job, was because I had an actual website with actual work on it. I would not have had that website if it wasn’t for my senior communication seminar class with Dr. Mark Perry.”

There is one more thing Short would like to add, and she hopes every current and future IWU student reads this. “When I graduated, I had someone say to me, ‘How does it feel that you just completed the best four years of your life?’ And it was such a weird question to be asked. I didn’t understand why they assumed upon graduating, that everything I had experienced over the last four years at IWU wouldn’t amount to anything, or suddenly because I am not tangibly at a place, that I can no longer experience my ‘best days.’ They were wrong. I think each day from here on out is considered my best day. It is one day more that I meet new people. One day more where I learn something new. One day more that I have an opportunity to serve. One day more that I have the chance to impact and be impacted. So, to all the seniors out there – It is what you make of it. And it is up to you to find the hope in the biggest setbacks and it is up to you to find the joy in the smallest of victories.”

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November 24, 2018

Thanks to Fusion, He Only Filled Out One Application: Zach McConnell

By: Kendra Housel

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Most seniors in high school spend months and months hunched over their computer, filling out application after application, writing essay upon essay about how something less-than-inspiring completely changed their lives, hoping to get accepted to a university.

It is an exhausting, often painstaking process filled with lots of uncertainty and often anxiety.

While this scene is very familiar to Zach McConnell, it is more reminiscent of the fact that he has applied to be on the television show Survivor for the past fifteen seasons.

No, McConnell’s college search was much simpler.

This youth pastor did something that he says that he would never advise his students to do. After a rather apathetic time of searching around for possible colleges to attend, with the encouragement of his youth pastor and a memory of an amazing time he had at Fusion (an IWU hosted high school conference), McConnell applied to just one college: Indiana Wesleyan University.

Of the decision to approach college with such confidence and optimism, McConnell said, “I was captivated and wowed by the campus and the environment. In 2007, God had called me to ministry, but I didn’t necessarily know where to go.”

“I only applied to IWU, because my youth pastor suggested I go, and I had really liked Fusion,” he explained. “But looking back, despite my apathy of searching for universities, I knew the Holy Spirit was leading the way … I don’t advise my students to just submit one application and ‘hope for the best’ just because of one youth conference. Terrible idea. But God knew what was happening.”

The time that followed this step of faith is what McConnell describes as “life-changing.”

His time at IWU was marked by a transformation of his heart, attitude and perspective. Much of that was due to the community that McConnell found one that continues to love and support him today.

“Every year continued to be a year of growth while attending IWU, ” McConnell said. “I found amazing accountability partners that I still connect with today. I have amazing ‘summit’ moments where I am reminded that I am uniquely and wonderfully made in the image of God.”

“I cannot express this any louder – I am so thankful for my time at Bowman Hall. The biggest piece of the puzzle I learned is that I am a Man of God, because He has created me in His image. I’m so thankful for the principles of Bowman and the people I was surrounded with while there,” McConnell said.

McConnell also found another relational blessing while studying at IWU.

As he pursued his degree in Youth Ministry, he also pursued his wife, Amanda. The pair graduated together in 2012 and are getting ready to welcome their first child this December.

McConnell and his wife, Amanda, at their graduation from IWU.

Currently, McConnell and his wife both serve in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at Linwood Church, where he is the NextGen Pastor and she is the Children’s Director.

McConnell rejoices in the opportunity to serve alongside his wife and lead his students to a more fruitful and authentic relationship with Christ through celebration, service and discipline.

In reflecting on his time at IWU, McConnell feels that he learned much about ministry, while also being affirmed that it was truly what he was called to do.

He said that he truly appreciates that IWU is an academic university that makes spirituality a priority over academics.

With a great love for IWU and the Fusion conference, of which he served on the leadership team while a student, McConnell continues to bring his students to attend Fusion annually, all the way from South Dakota. This year will be his 11^th Fusion.

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November 16, 2018

Small Kindnesses Leave a Huge Impact: Marie Beechy

By: Noelle Beans

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“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

This quote by Mother Teresa allows people to fathom how simple acts of kindness have immense – and eternal – effects.

Marie Beechy, a 2017 graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University’s master’s program and this year’s Distinguished School of Nursing Award recipient, understands this concept tenfold.

Beechy first attended Indiana University in Kokomo before her first nursing employments and before beginning her education at Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU).

She began her nursing career at St. Vincent Anderson, and in 2008 she moved to New Orleans where she worked for a company to analyze healthcare claims and develop wellness programs. At the same time, she worked part-time at a private psychiatric hospital.

When she returned to Indiana in 2016, she went back to work at St. Vincent where her previous experience had been pleasurable. She is also an adjunct professor at Marion University.

Both of her current employers have a focus on caring, respect and compassion for patients.

Beechy said, “I am thankful that I work for companies that encourage my Christian values to be displayed in my workplace.”

She also feels that working in the field of mental health gives her many opportunities to impart encouragement and kindness upon the people who need it the most.

Another way Beechy imparts God’s love in her life is through her ministry, One Refugee Child. This ministry stemmed out of a crowdfunding project called One Stroller – Many Steps Forward.

In a series of events, this project gave over 57 strollers to Syrian refugees and inspired others in Chicago, and even London, to do the same.

By January 2016, One Refugee Child expanded their projects to include blankets, hygiene supplies and winter clothes.

Facebook invited Beechy to their headquarters in 2016 to tell her story and from there, the ministry gained momentum.

One Refugee Child raises funds to improve the day-to-day lives of refugee children through projects that focus on health, development and education. The organization believes in pragmatism, in simplicity and in initiating specific projects that reflect changing needs and conditions on the ground. Most importantly, they believe in bringing comfort to children in crisis.

Their mission statement echoes Mother Teresa’s words: “Small kindnesses. Targeted projects. Transparency in the donation process. Huge impact.”

When asked about receiving this award, Beechy stated that she was surprised and very humbled.”

Beechy began her ministry with no intentions to do anything but help mothers and children in different circumstances.

Every opportunity has given her a chance to raise awareness about the crisis and help others to see what small things they can do with great love. They may be able to look back on their lives, like Beechy will be able to do, and see they have done great things.
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November 13, 2018

From Marion to Spain, IWU’s Impact is Strong: Navar Watson

By: Dezaray Barr
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If both of your parents attended and graduated from a specific university, that would naturally be the last place on your list.

This was the case for Navar Watson. “My parents are both alumni of IWU, so naturally, it was the last place on my list of colleges to attend,” Watson explained.

“Then I did an overnight visit on campus and enjoyed it very much. IWU beat out any other college or university I was considering. The communication department offered plenty of hands-on experience and extracurriculars.”

Watson graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) in 2016 with a degree from the IWU Division of Communication & Theatre in convergent journalism, and he said that his time at IWU was fantastic… something he wouldn’t trade for the world.

“I developed some of the strongest relationships in my life with fellow students; I developed incredible relationships with my professors as well. I loved them, and I could tell they genuinely loved and cared about me. I can’t be thankful enough for that,” Watson elaborated.

It wasn’t just the relationships that he made during his time at IWU that changed his life – it was also the impact IWU had on his spiritual life.

“I can’t begin to describe how much IWU impacted my faith,” Watson said. “What benefited me the most was exposure to people – students, professors and faculty members – whose personal backgrounds and perceptions of God differed from mine. It’s critically important to understand faith through other people’s eyes, and experiences with other people helped shape, and continue to shape, my own understanding of it.”

Immediately after graduating from IWU, Watson jumped into a journalism career working with the Chronicle-Tribune newspaper in Marion for a year and a half.

Now, Watson is in Spain teaching English as a foreign language.

In both career paths, Watson’s education at IWU has been incredibly influential.

“My classes, professors and experiences at IWU helped establish a confidence in myself and my abilities. That confidence allowed me to excel in my newspaper career (gaining three state journalism awards in the process), take risks in life and more recently, move halfway across the world and embrace an unknown future,” Watson explained.

There are two pieces of advice Watson wishes to share with IWU students, because he wishes someone had told him these things.

One, “Don’t sweat life. It’s fun. It’s one big video game.”

And two, “Don’t worry about figuring everything out right now. In the words of singer Tony Bennett, ‘Life teaches you really how to live it, if you can live long enough.'”

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