Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Winter 2015 | Page 37

Meet
Wheaton’s
Student
Alumni Board
2014-15 Student Alumni Board Members: Row 1 (l to r): Andrew Shadid ’15, Taylor Schuster ’16. Row 2: Megan Ziesemer ’15, Adam
Wolcott ’17, Julia Wittrock ’15, Anna Morris ’16, Hannah Swanson ’15, Erica Forkner ’17, Jeremy Braunius ’15. Row 3: Michael Daugherty ’15, Megan
Koontz ’17, Emilee Wenz ’15, Joseph Perry ’16, Caroline Wildman ’15, Grant Duncan ’15, Grant Hensel ’15. Not pictured: Carter Harms ’16, Jon Hric ’15.

Wheaton has a rich community of alumni that has always given back—both of their time and
resources. Meet 18 current students, Wheaton’s first Student Alumni Board, who have partnered
with Alumni Relations to inspire students to build relationships with alumni worldwide.

w

heaton College’s Student Alumni Board (SAB) is a student
group launched this fall, composed of 18 current students
who have been deeply impacted by Wheaton alumni worldwide. The group’s name may seem like an oxymoron, but
these student leaders—sophomores through seniors—are
passionate about connecting current students and campus
organizations with Wheaton’s vast alumni network.
“Some of my most formative experiences—from taking
a two-week trip to China to meet and learn from Christian
business, nonprofit, and church leaders, to deep mentorship and guidance throughout college—have been made
possible by the incredible generosity of alumni who took
a personal interest in my life,” SAB Vice President Grant
Hensel ’15 says. “College is such a formative time—one
word, one experience, one piece of advice or connection or
suggestion from an alumnus has the potential to change a
student’s entire life trajectory. It certainly has for me. Our
goal at SAB is to bring students and alumni together to
facilitate more of those experiences.”
In addition to connecting students to the world outside of Wheaton by forging alumni connections through
Wheaton in Network (WiN), on-campus dinners with
alumni, contests, and more, the group hopes to inspire stu-

W H EA T O N . ED U / M A G A Z I N E

dents to engage with the alumni community throughout
their Wheaton experience. 
The students on the board share close relationships with
the Alumni Association Board of Directors and host weekly board meetings to plan several events per year.
“Our goal is to create a culture in which connecting
with alumni is natural and instinctual,” SAB member Julia
Wittrock ’15 says. “We want students who have questions
to automatically think, I bet there is an alumnus or alumna who
knows something about that! ” 
Shark Tank, an on-campus event that took place in November, welcomed alumni judges and greater Chicagoland area
alumni to campus to provide