Diakonoi means servant.

If selected to be a Deke, you’ll be serving prospective students and their families through sharing your Wheaton experience while leading tours, hosting students overnight in your dorm room a few times a month, and by helping out in a variety of roles during admissions events. You’ll play a vital role in serving students as they decide where to go to school.

Building and experiencing intentional community are central components to Diakonoi, especially because community is such an important part of the Wheaton experience. Dekes invest in each other and become more whole through the joys, pains, nourishment, and grace of life together in community.

Being a Deke is a big commitment. Please consider the responsibilities carefully. If selected to be a Deke, you’ll need to:

• Attend 4-5 meetings and events during March-April 2025 and virtual meetings over the summer.
• Make Diakonoi a top priority throughout the entire 25-26 school year.
• Dig in to weekly core group meetings, monthly joint core group meetings, and other regularly scheduled events with the group, prayer partners, and admissions staff.
• Seek out knowledge of Wheaton's history, campus, and programs.
• Lead a weekly campus tour and share enthusiasm for the school.
• Be available up to three nights a month for overnight campus visitors.
• Assist with on-campus and virtual events throughout the year.
• Attend two retreats, one at the start of each semester, and a week of training prior to the start of school

You can also learn more about the deke program by following us on Instagram. 

We’re excited to get to know you through the application process!  Contact the Deke Advisor (jamie.desai@wheaton.edu) with any questions. 

Application Process

Fill out an application and ask your RA AND a Wheaton faculty/staff member to fill in reference forms for you (all via JotForm). The application and both references are due by midnight on February 2nd. 

If selected to move further in the process, you will hear back from us to schedule an interview which will take place the week of February 7th. This will include a group interview as well as a 1:1 with the Advisor or one of the two student coordinators. 

Deke selections will be sent out by February 18th.

• Application
• Recommendation Form 
  Full Link to copy/paste - https://form.jotform.com/243536287335159

Thank you for considering the Diakonoi program for your sophomore year!  If you have any questions, please contact the Deke Advisor at jamie.desai@wheaton.edu.