Why Wesleyan? - West Virginia Wesleyan College

}A L U M N I P R O F I L E :Sarah Coyne, Class of 2005Completed an M.Ed. in Literacyfrom The Citadel, Charleston,SC in 2009. Employed withPinewood Preparatory School,(K–12), Summerville, SC. I lovethe community atmosphere atWesleyan, where students andprofessors both work and learn together.To give back means to give of your time, treasureand talent to those people and organizations onefeels passionate about. I give back because I havebeen richly blessed and hope others can share in thegifts I have received. I give financially to the EducationDepartment, in hopes that the program willcontinue to thrive and produce well-rounded andskilled teachers. I also proudly hang my Wesleyanpennant above my classroom door at school toshow off my alma mater. I talk with upperclassmenabout Wesleyan and encourage them to visit.As instilled in me through the community engagementprogram at WVWC, I have continued to servelocally, nationally and internationally. I participatein local projects, such as Habitat for Humanity andReading Camps, have travelled to Louisiana to helpwith relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina, and havehelped organize three consecutive spring breakservice trips to Honduras with teenagers.Timothy J. Kelley, Class of 2007Pastor of Terra Alta UnitedMethodist Church. Completeda masters degree at UnitedTheological Seminary in May 2010.I am a living testimony of howWesleyan can change a life. I wouldnot be the professional I am todaywithout the quality education I received. This educationshould be passed on to current students andincoming ones. I give a gift to WVWC each fiscalyear. It warms my heart to know I may be helpingsomeone else’s education. Giving back continuesthe tradition of WVWC for others.I often attend events on campus. There is no feelinglike coming home to my “Home Among the Hills.”Today, I feel Wesleyan’s influence on my life as I donot just accept the status quo, but challenge myselfin everyday life.Why I Give BackSee the stories of four young alumni below. They give back toWesleyan in so many ways. They recently told us why.J. Zak Ritchie, Class of 2008Third-year law student at WestVirginia University College of Law.Wesleyan gave me so much —especially the friendships I willtreasure for the rest of my life.The leadership and academicopportunities — especially beingable to work closely with learned faculty — allowedme to expand my skill set and knowledge reach. Iam forever indebted to the dedicated and energeticfaculty and staff who helped shape me.I stay involved by visiting Wesleyan as often aspossible, usually at Homecoming and SpringWeekend. I also give back through a yearly donationto the Annual Fund. Recommending Wesleyan tobright, active high school students is also somethingI try to do. Giving back a little each year is the leastI can do.Liz Short, Class of 2009Employed as CommunityOutreach Specialist at MonValley Initiative in Pittsburgh, PA.Attending the Universityof Delaware beginning fall2010 for Counseling in HigherEducation with an emphasis inStudent Affairs Practice.Wesleyan truly shaped me into the person I amtoday. As a student who entered college as a fosterkid, I quickly found faculty and staff that becamefriends and family — and I’ve realized that Wesleyanis the people that are there.I encourage high school students to considerWesleyan. I send job openings to Wesleyan’s CareerServices Office when my company is seeking newemployees. I give back financially because I knowthat I could not have gone to Wesleyan without theassistance I received.My experiences in classes, internships and evenextracurricular activities helped me land a wonderfuljob before graduation, and they continue to giveme the confidence to make a real difference while atthe organization. My professors and advisors havestayed close to me, and helped and encouraged meto pursue higher education. The friends I’ve madeare now like family and when I refer to “home,” I’musually talking about the one among the hills.The Sundial’s EditorialAdvisory Board invites allalumni and friends to sharetheir thoughts about themagazine and other alumnipublications. The Winter/Spring 2010 issue generatedfeedback regarding twocommon themes.First, we inadvertentlyomitted the “In Memoriam”section. We apologize forthis error and you will findthat this particular segmenthas returned in this issue.In addition to other phonecalls, letters and email, Ben’51 and Mona Harris McKee’52 sent a note to the Officeof Alumni Relations stating,“We do appreciate theSundial so much. However,the last issue did not have aMemorial page. Why? We havegreat memories of our yearsthere! We met there and willcelebrate 59 years marriedthis year.”Thanks to all alumni whobrought this to our attention.Secondly, many readers haveasked us to identify photosand images shown in theSundial as often as possible.That’s a great suggestionand we will certainly includeas much detail as we canin future publications.If you have a comment,suggestion or question, pleasesend it to the Office of AlumniRelations, 59 College Avenue,Buckhannon, WV 26201,or alumni@wvwc.edu.SUMMER/FALL 2010 SUNDIAL 19