Away but Not Far: HESD Program as a Remote Option
Whitney Boyce's ('26) has a unique calling to serve rural students. From a small town in Missouri, Whitney (pictured on the left on trip to UChicago with HESD classmates) received support from the TRIO Upward Bound Program, which serves first generation and low income students, to join the mere 19 percent of rural Americans that hold a bachelor's degree.
Upward Bound empowered Whitney to apply, attend, and graduate from Truman State University. 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. 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. 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".
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.
Wheaton's HESD program is not only deepening Whitney's knowledge, but also allowing her to see how she can practically display Christ in serving students and her 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'".
