IWU Graduate Nathan Smith

By: Dezaray Barr

Nathan Smith and his wife

Nathan Smith graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management. “I took college classes at IWU while I was in high school in Marion,” Smith said. “A traveling music group performed at my youth camp, and I got really excited about being involved in the music program like they were.”

Smith was involved in Chorale for four years, and he worked in the PPAC for three years. “I loved living on campus and participating in activities.  My sister and future brother-in-law also attended IWU at the same time.  Three of the guys in my wedding party were from IWU,” he said.

While a student, Smith really treasured chapel services. “The amazing worship teams and weekly speakers challenged and emboldened my faith,” he said. “There were times that I was running from God during those years, but I appreciate the strong community that supporting me in my journey and helped be the hands and feet of Christ. The University was a safe place to grow and develop in my faith.”

Now, Smith works for Lincoln Financial Group. He manages a Call Center team who handle phone calls for client’s retirement accounts. Smith said, “I also work closely with clients, I onboard new staff, and I guide projects that enhance the experiences of our staff and customers.”

During his time at IWU, Smith’s focus on local church and service empowered him to live differently even after he graduated. “Using the training and experiences I gained working with people, I’ve been very involved with volunteering in the 15 years since graduation,” he shared. “It has also been rewarding to coach college students and the under-employed on how to prepare for their careers or re-enter the workforce. I love my career, and I equally value the opportunities I get to serve.”

Outside from his professional career, Smith is an experienced actor. He was the lead actor in Fort Wayne Civic’s The Little Shop of Horrors. He’s played Charlie in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and Evan Roberts in the musical Bend Us.

Smith is married with three children, all under six-years-old. Since graduation, he and his family have lived in Fort Wayne, and he dreams of traveling to Japan someday where his wife served as a missionary.

 

 

Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a junior 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.

Evan Wible

By: Dezaray Barr

Evan Wible

Evan Wible graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2011 with two degrees in Marketing and Political Science. “My parents pushed me to look at Christian universities within 5 hours of Indianapolis, where we lived,” Wible said. “Ultimately the decision came down to IWU and Taylor and, after a few campus visits, I felt like I clicked with the students and faculty more at IWU and that sealed the decision.”

Wible said his time at IWU was great! “My time at college was stretching and challenging, but also one of the most fun times of my life. I met great friends, participated in just about every intramural sport offered and enjoyed the opportunity to engage in discussions about philosophy, politics and religion in a way that I have found to be significantly more difficult in the post-college world. But, as much as I enjoyed the academics, the sports and other extracurricular activities, the relationships I built at IWU have proved to be the most important and long-lasting. Two of the three jobs I’ve had since graduation have resulted directly from relationships that I built during my time at school and two IWU grads were groomsmen in my wedding,” Wible shared.

Although Wible had grown up in a Christian home, he felt as if IWU was a place for him to pursue Christ on his own and personalize his faith.

After graduation, Wible accepted a job at Angie’s List in Indianapolis as a customer care supervisor. He eventually took a management role and worked there for about three and a half years. After leaving, he joined a software start-up called Lessonly, alongside fellow IWU alumni Mitch Causey and Corey Kime.

“I stepped into a sales role at Lessonly and then watched as the company grew from 5 to 85 people during my three year tenure. Most recently, I’ve accepted a role with another small company, Amerisales, as an Operations Manager. Amerisales provides marketing and SEO services, and I manage service delivery and the day-to-day elements of the business.”

Evan and his wife, Ashley

Although Wible’s career may not be inherently spiritual, his beliefs are used to measure the decisions that he makes at work. “Faith dictates right and wrong, how I respond to any situation and how I relate to the people I come across on a daily basis,” he said.

Some fun facts about Wible include that he won the slip-and-slide and limbo contests at IWU and the watermelon seed spitting contest at the Indiana State Fair! Unlike many Hoosiers, Wible likes to brag on Indiana. “While a lot of people rag on Indiana as a comparatively boring state, it has the huge benefit of having a low cost of living and it’s that characteristic that has freed up funds and allowed me to indulge in a lot of travel since graduation. England/Scotland three times, Ireland, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and a dozen other places within the US,” he said.

Wible’s wife, Ashley, is a nurse, and they are expecting their first baby in May.

 

 

Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a junior 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.

Corrie Weerheim: From IWU to Orlando

By: Heather Cox

Corrie Weerheim
Corrie Weerheim

Corrie Weerheim graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2016 after majoring in Marketing, and minoring in Communication Studies.

Weerheim is originally from Lebanon, Ohio and found her way to IWU after looking for a smaller Christian school close to home.

At first, Weerheim was unsure of what she wanted to study. At a suggestion of a friend, Weerheim decided to start out with majoring in business and then went from there. She learned through experience that she liked the creative side of business, leading her to Marketing. It was after a conversation with her advisor Weerheim noticed extra time on her hands and decided to try out a minor in Communication Studies, which she ended up really enjoying.

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Corrie Weerheim as a Student Ambassador for Career Development and her team

On top of her studies, Weerheim became involved with PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) her senior year at IWU, and even became the secretary. In addition to PRSSA, Weerheim kept busy throughout college with various activities and jobs, such as being the captain of the intramural bowling team, working in the chapel office and at Chick-fil-a, being involved in her church–Twin City Bible Baptist– and becoming a Student Ambassador for Career Development.

While on campus, Weerheim appreciated the opportunities which were available for students, and being a part of Career Development was one of her top favorite things about her experience at IWU.

“My co-workers were always there for me and encouraging (me) in that time of my life,” Weerheim said.

Weerheim had a few professors come to mind that left a lasting impression on her.

“I really liked Media and Society for sure, which was a very intriguing class. That was taught by Dr. Mark Perry. That was my first class I took in my communication minor, that was a really engaging class even though it was at 7:50 in the morning,” Weerheim said. “I also really liked my Consumer Behavior class and that was taught by Dr. Millage where we got to do an ethnography over any topic.”

During the summer before her senior year of IWU, Weerheim worked at a Christian summer camp called Beulah Beach, which is where she started to really develop a heart for ministry.

“My parents were missionaries, so they had some connections with people who worked with Cru here in Orlando, and those friends kind of recruited me,” Weerheim said.

It was in March of 2016 before Weerheim graduated, when she decided she wanted to intern with Cru, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ. Cru is a ministry organization originally geared toward bringing college age young adults to Christ, and now has a multitude of ministries within the organization which reach out to people of all ages worldwide.

Following graduation, Weerheim moved back to Ohio for the summer to raise money to help support her during her internship.

“During the summer, I was meeting with ministry partners and casting vision for what I would be doing with Cru. In August I got to move to Orlando, Florida where I get to work at the world headquarters for Cru,” Weerheim said.

Since moving to Orlando in August, Weerheim has been working as the Social Media Specialist for the President’s Staff Team of Cru.

Her new position entails being in the office four days a week performing social media tasks for the president of Cru, Steve Douglass. On Wednesdays she also goes to a high school to help hold a weekly meeting, and on Tuesdays she helps lead a Bible study for high school girls.

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Corrie Weerheim speaking at the Digital School of Leadership conference.

Weerheim was even able to travel to South Africa for Cru in October for the Digital School of Leadership conference. This conference focused on using digital strategies for ministry, and Weerheim was also able to speak at one of the sessions held.

Weerheim also does social media for a Cru project with the goal to develop 10 million multiplying disciples by the end of the year 2020. Essentially, this is to help others become believers who will then go out, sharing their faith in Jesus Christ with other people.

“We decided that yes, we’re missionaries. We’re trying to share the gospel, but besides just going out, we need to be praying for this, so we developed something called Pray2020, just praying for fulfillment of the Great Commission basically,” Weerheim said.

In addition, Weerheim recently committed to interning with Cru for a second year and will be working for one organization within Cru called the Jesus Film Project.

As for what she wants to do after the second year interning with Cru, Weerheim is still in the process of figuring that out.

“I hope to live in Orlando, so either I’ll be joining staff full time or finding another job in Orlando. I don’t know exactly what that will look like yet!” Weerheim said.

For current Indiana Wesleyan students, Weerheim has a bit of wisdom to share.

“Don’t be afraid to make the most of your time in college because it’s only four years. It’ll be over before you know it,” Weerheim said. “I think a really helpful thing for me was taking advantage of meeting with people that I saw as mentors and seeking advice from them, whether it be spiritually or professionally or personally, I think that was probably one of the most beneficial times that I really had as a college student.”

 

Written by Heather Cox, writer for the Alumni Office. Heather is a junior Journalism major at IWU. She is also the Editor of GrantCOnnected.net, a community news site run by IWU students. She is unsure of where life will take her after college, but she knows she never wants to stop writing!

Tom Bowser – We All Have a Voice Worth Hearing.

“We all have a voice worth hearing,” says Tom Bowser during a recent presentation on social media at the Fort Wayne Regional Education and Conference Center. Sharing stories that helped those attending, Tom demonstrated the importance of sharing your story over social media. Serving at JH Specialty, a Fort Wayne Communications and Marketing Company, Tom offered ideas and solutions with his presentation. He is the Director of Traditional Marketing.

tom02rTom is an IWU alum who values his education from IWU. He invested in his alma mater by offering a presentation to fellow IWU alumni. According to Tom’s LinkedIn profile, “As early as I can remember, I have always had a passion for, and been involved in some aspect of leadership, strategic marketing and design.” Check out his profile at JH Specialty.

He shared a story about Dave Carroll, a gifted musician who had his $3,500 guitar tossed off the plane by baggage handlers and the reality was that he was not able to get a resolution. Since he was not getting any resolution some said that he was “statistically insignificant”. Being statistically insignificant means that while the majority of people get the majority of good service, there are some that don’t get the best service. The story had a great resolve as he used social media to help make others aware through a music video he created and posted on Youtube. The United Breaks Guitar song had over one million views in four days which tells his story. Currently there are now over 16 million views (for the first United Breaks Guitars video”). After the first video was posted, United’s stock dropped 10%, or $180 million in value. His book, “United Breaks Guitars: The Power of One Voice in the Age of Social Media” has become a training manual for United employees. Check out his music video.

Most companies use a traditional strategy to respond. United, as one example of companies that don’t know how to appropriately respond. He offered an example where Bob Taylor (from Taylor Guitar) offered online support and as a result his business in sales when up 25%. Tom shares that good social media strategies include listening, engaging, and resolving issues that build better social media policies. Check out Bob Taylor’s video.

For more information about Dave Carroll go to his website. Dave Carroll Music.

The team of alumni volunteers give of their personal time to serve their alumni. Talu_1207-alumni-association-logo_fort-waynehe IWU Fort Wayne Regional Network desires to serve regional alumni and friends through professional development. We welcome your input and should you desire to serve your fellow alum.

Contact the IWU Alumni Office for more details or send a message to rick.carder@indwes.edu.

 

Written by Rev. Rick Carder, Director of Alumni & Church Engagement at Indiana Wesleyan University.