President's Memorandum

Rooted in Joy: Learning, Faith, and Formation at Wheaton

From her first steps on campus, Eleanor Watson ’25 sensed Wheaton College would be more than just a place to earn her degree. She didn’t yet know what form it would take, but something about the blend of faith, learning, and community felt like an open door. Now, as she prepares for medical school and reflects on four deeply formative years, she sees how those early impressions became the foundation of a journey shaped by God’s steady hand.

As an Applied Health Science major, Eleanor developed a passion for medicine rooted in understanding the broader social and environmental forces that impact health. “I love the big-picture thinking of public health,” she explained, “but I want to apply it in a clinical setting.” Wheaton’s interdisciplinary approach gave her the freedom to explore both, blending analytical rigor with a commitment to compassionate care.

Her academic journey was largely shaped by faculty mentors who encouraged her to think deeply, ask big questions, and see science as a way to encounter God’s intricate design. Dr. Allison Ruark, one of her most influential professors, instilled what it means to approach scholarship with both curiosity and kindness—a posture Eleanor will carry into her future career in medicine.

Beyond the walls of Meyer Science Center, Eleanor found joy in the rhythms of community life. Whether celebrating a breakthrough in the lab or sharing laughter over lunch, she experienced the beauty of a place where excellence and encouragement go hand in hand.

As she prepares to take her next steps, Eleanor looks back with gratitude—for the professors who challenged her, the friends who cheered her on, and for God’s faithful watch over her journey. 

“That’s the thing about Wheaton,” she says. “There’s so much joy in what we do—what we’re preparing for in our careers, and who we’re becoming as people, as friends, as community members, and as servants of God. In a world where so many things feel meaningless, it’s been sweet to share the deep joy and purpose that comes from walking with the Lord every day.”

When Plans Fall Away: Trusting God's Path

Chris Easley ’15 jokes that his life hasn’t gone according to plan. “I’ve been thoroughly unstrategic,” he laughs. “All my careful scheming has come to nothing—but in the best way.”

Raised just minutes from campus, Chris grew up tagging along to his mom’s grad classes at Wheaton. “I was getting ice cream at the Stupe before I could read,” he says. By the time he enrolled as a student, Wheaton already felt like home.

Pursuing a double major in English and Secondary Education, Chris originally pictured a future in the classroom, maybe even seminary down the road. “I came in thinking I had a natural knack for teaching. But Wheaton introduced me to educational theory, to spiritual formation, to a way of thinking that shaped every part of me.” He still remembers Dr. Roger Lundin’s class where he encountered Irenaeus’s theology of suffering—taught not just as theory, but as lived experience. “It was one of the first times I realized that learning and discipleship could be the same thing.”

That holistic vision of formation extended far beyond the classroom. He and his wife, Katie—who married as undergrads—hosted “Tea and Munchies” afternoons in their tiny off-campus apartment, serving cookies and community to fellow students. “It was our first shot at building a life around welcoming others in,” he says.

When the Easleys considered which causes to support after graduation, Wheaton was an easy choice. “We give because Wheaton forms whole people,” he says. “It’s not just academics—it’s spiritual formation, community, and character. That kind of transformation ripples out.”

Although Chris once imagined planting a church in his 20s, his career has taken a different, yet equally meaningful, direction. Today, he leads a nonprofit ministry that helps believers connect their faith to everyday work. It’s a mission grounded in the same convictions that shaped his time at Wheaton: that God is present in all of life, and that even the most ordinary roles are part of His Kingdom.

Hanging on the wall of Chris’s home is a woodcut print by fellow Wheaton alumnus Robert Sawyer, titled “A Gift Broken.” It shows a man poised to split a block of wood—a seemingly ordinary moment. For Chris, it’s a visual echo of what Wheaton seeks to form: not polished perfection, but