Away but Not Far: HESD Program as a Remote Option
Whitney Boyce's ('26) call to serve rural students began far before her college days. Hailing from a rural area of Missouri where numerous obstacles historically prevent students from attending college, Whitney needed to attend and thrive in college. 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 or higher and to become a member of Wheaton's M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development Program.
The mentors Whitney found in Upward Bound enabled her to apply, attend, and graduate from Truman State University. With their guidance, she applied for scholarships and learned valuable skills that aided her in attaining a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Upward Bound's office on Truman State's campus helped her battle the culture shock of transitioning from her rural home to Kirksville, Missouri. She began to work as a coach, mentor and Student Services Coordinator for Upward Bound during her college years, giving the same guidance she received from her mentors in the program to rural high school students like herself.
Whitney's path to Wheaton was solidified by the McNair Scholars Program at Truman State, which seeks to help underrepresented groups enter a graduate school program. When she and her McNair mentor honed her list of prospective graduate schools, they found all the programs she was interesting in 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 Higher Education and Student Development Program.
Upon submission of her Wheaton application, Whitney found support from HESD Program Director Dr. Olga Dietlin. 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 support made a way for Whitney to be at Wheaton, helping her to find the financial aid she needed to attend.
The love 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 remote courses, she found that her professors and classmates went out of their way to connect with her, sending her emails to check in on her 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 contributing to her current work with underserved students through Upward Bound at Truman State. She takes deep joy in meeting with students who face challenges that not many people in higher education understand, because she finds 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 these challenges deeply, and she 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 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'".
