Web Exclusives
Features and Profiles
Amy Early ’16: What We Feel is Real
Author: Ciera Horton McElroy ’17
As an occupational therapist at UI Health, Amy Early ’16 is taking a holistic approach to healthcare, placing her patients and their experiences at the center of honest and empathetic practice.
Doug Addleman ’15: Science as Worship
Author: Ciera Horton McElroy ’17
A small-town kid from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Doug Addleman ’15 is a self-professed philosopher-turned-neuroscientist. Currently conducting postdoctoral research at Dartmouth University, he finds both philosophy and psychology at the heart of behavioral studies.
Faithfulness and Godly Ambition
Author: Emily Bratcher
David M. Howard Sr. ’49, M.A. ’52, a missionary leader whose gospel work touched people around the world, went to be with the Lord on May 9, 2022. He was 94.
Computing the Far Reaches of the Human Mind
Author: Ciera Horton McElroy ’17
Through research opportunities with Wheaton College neuroscience and political science faculty, Mitchel McRay ’20 laid the foundations for his career in software development at the intersection of medicine and technology.
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From College Prankster to Tesla Engineer
Author: Ciera Horton McElroy ’17
Throughout his years at Wheaton, Hudson Thomas ’18 learned how to balance fun and games with intense focus in the physics and neuroscience labs, both of which helped him pursue (and achieve) his California tech dreams.
Finding Friendship in Unlikely Spaces
Author: Melissa Schill ’22
Despite being a space set aside for students to recover in isolation, Wheaton's quarantine residence has defied all odds and become an unlikely source of new friendships and a rich community as students seek to make the most of their temporary stay.
Eunice Lim ’17: The Art of Neuroscience
Author: Ciera Horton McElroy ’17
At the intersection of neuroscience and painting, Eunice Lim ’17 shares how a liberal arts education paved the way for her to discover God's creation in new and meaningful ways.
Pain Redeemed
Author: Philip Yancey M.A. ’72
“In 50 years as a journalist, I’ve learned one thing: Life is unfair. Some of us are stewards of pleasure and success. Some of us are stewards of pain and failure. I’ve learned that pain redeemed impresses me more than pain removed.”
Kelly Ross ’16: Mindful Ministry
Author: Ciera Horton McElroy ’17
In her work as a care manager at Lawndale Christian Health Center in Chicago, Kelly Ross explains how the very process of sharing your story with someone else—and watching that person react, listen, and care—is part of the brain’s healing process. In short, it’s the neural explanation for human empathy.
Scott de Haas ’23: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Career and Faith
Author: Eliana Chow ’21
Scott de Haas ’23 wasn’t sure that he wanted to attend a Christian school, though he grew up going to church and studying the Scriptures. Wheaton College was also much colder and farther from home than the Virginia-native was looking for. But when he visited campus at the beginning of 2019, he was immediately impressed with the school and its community.
Ari Escareño ’25: A Glimpse of the Kingdom
Author: Eliana Chow ’21
Between stargazing in canoes at 4:00 a.m., hiking with professors, and scaling cliff sides, Passage created ample opportunities for her to practice her newfound freedom and forge valuable connections with professors and eight other freshmen in her group, who represented a diverse set of cultural backgrounds and church experiences.
Sadie Rynbrandt ’23: Unraveling the Threads of Theology
Author: Eliana Chow ’21
“As I read more resources and spoke with spiritual mentors, I found that there weren’t necessarily straightforward answers to all my pressing questions. Instead, I could develop a framework that would hold true despite our inability to fully understand all who God is."
Kendra Paez ’22: Exploring the Power of Place
Author: Emily Bratcher
During her past four years at Wheaton, Paez has found the program deeply enriching in conjunction with her studies in international relations and urban studies. Aequitas has exposed her to a wealth of ideas and experiences that have been integral to her college experience and have set the stage for her future success.
David McCloskey ’08: Agent to Author
Author: Melissa Schill ’22
After eight years in the C.I.A., David McCloskey ’08 stepped away to pursue a different career path, leaving him with plenty of memories to process. So, he started writing. What began as a way of thinking through his experiences as an analyst on the Syria team turned into 100,000 words. Five years later, he picked the manuscript back up and decided to officially turn it into a book.
Laura Shultz Psy.D. ’12: Taking the Road Less Traveled
Author: Melissa Schill ’22
Of the four percent of American psychologists who have completed their board certification, Laura Shultz, Psy.D. ’12 ABPP is one of them. Getting there has taken her down a meandering path, one marked by learning how to incorporate her faith into her work.
Ciara Stuhler ’22: Capturing and Connecting
Author: Melissa Schill ’22
After spending the past two years in a global pandemic, loneliness has become a pandemic of its own. Ciara explained, “This project is a commentary on how connection is an everlasting human condition and isn’t lost. We can still love each other, still meet people in a meaningful way.”
The Missionary Display: Celebrating Wheaton’s Commitment to Missions
Author: Melissa Schill ’22
On a prospective student’s tour of Wheaton, somewhere between checking out the workout amenities and the library, they take a stop on the second floor of Blanchard Hall. Just outside the President’s Office is a long, tan-colored wall display with 5,076 names lined up in columns, sorted by year. This is the “Alumni in Missions” display.
Obituary: Dr. Jorge J.E. Gracia ’65
Cuban philosopher Dr. Jorge J.E. Gracia ’65— SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Samuel P. Capen Chair in Philosophy and Comparative Literature—died in July 2021 at the age of 78.
Obituary: C. René Padilla ’57
Wheaton alumnus C. René Padilla ’57—theologian and missiologist best known for championing the “integral mission”—died in Buenos Aires at the age of 88 in April 2021.
Obituary: Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. ’58
Banks was a consequential figure in Christian media and the founder of the largest black faith-based publishing company in the country.
Thirty Years Later and They’re Still Here?
Author: Melissa Schill ’22
Members of the class of 1991 traveled to Wheaton for their 30th homecoming this October, but for some, the commute wasn’t far at all. Six 1991 graduates had already returned to their alma mater, this time as faculty and staff members.
‘Biblically Rooted, Theologically Formed’
Author: Melissa Schill '22
For the past twenty years, professors and students alike have been advancing an integrative approach to scholarship, combining biblical studies with theological studies in the Biblical and Theological Studies PhD program.
Becoming Better Global Neighbors
Author: Melissa Schill '22
It’s hard not to be amazed by the massive reach HDI has achieved and maintained over just ten years. Aten credits it all to the diligence and passion of the HDI and HDL team. Yet even despite all that has been accomplished in the past decade, the work is only beginning. “The need continues to drastically outweigh the capacity we currently have,” Aten said.
Innovation to Bless
Author: Jenna Watson ’21
While interdisciplinary learning is central to every Wheaton education, the iLab at CFI allows students to take it a step further and apply their learning to real-world business problems. Consulting teams of students across disciplines, CFI faculty, and marketplace experts collaborate to solve complex business problems that CFI partner organizations face.
Obituary: Civil Rights Activist, Author, and Pastor Rev. C. Herbert Oliver ’47
Author: Ciera Horton McElroy ’17
Wheaton College graduate Reverend C. Herbert Oliver ’47, esteemed civil rights activist, pastor, and author, passed away on November 30, 2021.
A Reunion Gift that Keeps on Giving
Author: Melissa Schill ’22
Despite the disappointment of a distanced reunion due to COVID-19 restrictions, the class of 1971 rallied together under the initiative of Dr. David Gieser ’71 and chose to support the College in a big way. The class founded an endowed scholarship and surpassed their $100k goal in just over one month.