Whitney Boyce

Whitney Boyce's ('26) call to serve rural students preceded her college days. From a rural area of Missouri where obstacles historically prevent students from reaching college, Whitney needed to guidance to attend and thrive at a university. The support she received from the TRIO Upward Bound Program, which serves first generation and low income students, enabled her to join the mere 19 percent of rural Americans that hold a bachelor's degree. 

Whitney's Upward Bound mentors empowered her to apply, attend, and graduate from Truman State University. With their guidance, she applied for scholarships and gleaned valuable skills that allowed her to attain a Bachelor's in Psychology. Truman State's on campus Upward Bound office helped her face the culture shock of transitioning from her rural home to Kirksville, Missouri to a busy college campus. During her upperclassman years she began to work as a coach and mentor for Upward Bound, serving rural high school students like herself. 

Whitney's path to Wheaton was solidified by the McNair Scholars Program at Truman State, which helps underrepresented groups reach graduate school. When she and her McNair mentor honed her list of prospective graduate schools, they realized all the programs she'd selected were geared towards school counselors. Reminding Whitney of the centrality of higher education to her role with Upward Bound, her mentor advised her to seek out a higher education graduate program. Having found powerful Christian community throughout her Truman State years at the school's Baptist Student Union as well as her church, Whitney desired to attend a school that would foster her spiritual growth like those ministries had. She found such a place in Wheaton's M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development Program. 

Upon submission of her Wheaton application, Whitney found support from Dr. Olga Dietlin, HESD Program Director. For Whitney, "God's love was really shown through the faculty and staff at Wheaton", and she knew she "had to find a way to be there, because there is something special about the people". Dr. Dietlin's helped make a way for Whitney to be at Wheaton, aiding her in finding the financial aid she needed to attend.

The care and encouragement that first drew Whitney to the HESD program has only increased throughout her tenure as a remote student. While it took time to adjust to remote courses, she found that her professors and classmates went out of their way to connect with her, sending her emails to check in and taking time to connect virtually outside the classroom. In her words, "it's been really special to see people reach out" in a capacity that she never expected for a remote graduate program. 

The education Whitney is receiving at Wheaton is already influencing her current work with underserved students through Upward Bound at Truman State. She finds joy in meeting with students who face challenges that many in higher education don't understand, finding that "they have a passion for their education and a determination that not many people have". As a student from a rural community, she knows the challenges they face deeply, and is able to utilize her increasing knowledge of higher education to help others overcome them. Wheaton's HESD program is not only deepening her skills in serving students through Upward Bound and McNair Scholars, but also allowing her to see how she can practically display Christ in serving her students and coworkers. The love and support she has gained at Wheaton has given her a deeper sense of purpose and equipping to, in her words, to "strive to serve and help students in a way that is distinctly 'For Christ and His Kingdom'".