Spring 2021 Wesleyan Magazine

Spring 2021

O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T E X A S W E S L E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y

GIC VISION E T A R T S AN ’S NEW Y E L S E W TEX AS PAGE 1 6

THE COMFORT OF QUESTIONS Religion explores faith’s gray areas PAGE

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POLYTECHNIC PANDEMIC FIGHTERS How public health crises shaped our early years PAGE

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RAMS IN FOCUS

Texas Wesleyan closed on Feb. 10 to ensure the safety of the campus community during the threat of winter weather. The campus experienced significant water damage from freezing pipes and other equipment due to the 2021 ice storm. In-person classes resumed on Saturday, Feb. 27, despite many class schedule changes due to repairs and lost class time.

FROM OUR PRESIDENT

THE VISION THAT FUELS OUR FIRE Our future is rooted in connection

Dear Alumni and Friends, As we see the dawn of a new decade, I am reminded of the words of Proverbs 29:18, ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’

What we do defines who we are, and Texas Wesleyan is committed to fostering the better world that those who went before us saw on the road ahead. The collective work of our 2020 Vision brought us to this point. Our Engage 2025 strategic plan will continue that work.

We developed this plan from extensive listening sessions and participation with people across the entire Texas Wesleyan community. It is our shared vision for the future, and we are united in it.

Our Engage 2025 strategic plan centers around three key areas: An intellectual curiosity that drives lifelong learning in our students. Lasting and meaningful community connections that deepen with time. Leadership skills rooted in real-world scenarios. We have seen these ideas revitalize our campus and neighborhood. They are rooted in what we do.

Central to that vision is our dedication to diversity and inclusion. Texas Wesleyan is a place where students can connect with their community without fear of bias or harm.

My prayer is that this transformative power of wisdom and learning will help us in our efforts to break down the walls that separate us, work through our differences of opinion, and commit ourselves to the rule of law and justice. Texas Wesleyan University will continue to provide a space for calm and reason for all our students, faculty and staff.

May God bless you and may God bless Texas Wesleyan.

Spring 2021

O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T E X A S W E S L E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y

ON THE COVER

Frederick G. Slabach President Texas Wesleyan University

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Texas Wesleyan is fired up for a new decade with a strategic plan designed to connect our community.

EYAN TEXA S WESL

N TEGIC VISIO ’S NEW STRA PAGE 1 6

Read more on page 16.

Illustration by Shelly Jackman

THE COMFORT OF QUESTIONS Religion explores faith’s gray areas

POLYTECHNIC PANDEMIC FIGHTERS How public health crises shaped our early years

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SPRING 2021

FEATURES 14

THE FIRE UNDER GRACE Religion focuses on questions that keep leaders up at night

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THIS FLAME BURNS BRIGHTER A new strategic plan strengthens connections

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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A PANDEMIC? How public health shaped our early years

DEPARTMENTS 4

NEWS & EVENTS Latest news and social media

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MOVERS & SHAKERS Vernesa Perry MFT ’20’s journey from Bosnia to TXWES

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SPORTS REPORT Gabriella Gracia Badillo is ready to serve her country

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ALUMNI Student scholarships, GPNA renovation plans and more

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LAST WORD We Wade goodbye to a Hall full of history

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PRESIDENT Frederick G. Slabach

COPY EDITOR Janna Franzwa Canard

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shannon Lamberson

TEXAS WESLEYAN STAFF Jerri Schooley, vice president for advancement

EDITOR Darren White MBA ’16

IN THE NEWS Julissa Norment, junior theatre major, performs a monologue for Theatre Wesleyan’s production of Portraits In Black.

DESIGN Shelly Jackman D. White & Company PHOTOGRAPHY Braidon Clemence Lauren Garza

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT 817-531-4404 817-531-7560 FAX txwes.edu/alumni CONTACT US wesleyan@txwes.edu 817-531-5817

CONTRIBUTING WRITER Derek Reeves

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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NEWS & EVE NTS

New student housing community is coming to campus TXWES to add new on-campus student housing starting in fall 2022

Texas Wesleyan is teaming up with Panteras Development Partners and owner-operator Miyama USA Texas to add another modern touch to the Rosedale Renaissance. A brand new on-campus, student housing community will serve more than 100 students starting in fall 2022.

The Rosedale will feature one- and two-bedroom apartments, located at 3228 E. Rosedale St., less than a minute away from the heart of campus. Residents will enjoy privatesecured parking and amenities designed for modern students.

Student housing developer Panteras Development Partners and owner-operator Miyama USA Texas entered into a longterm ground lease with Texas Wesleyan University to launch this project. Equity for the 56-unit, 101-bed community has been provided by Miyama USA Texas.

Miyama USA Texas and Panteras worked closely with the university’s Division of Student Affairs and received input from current TXWES graduate and undergraduate students.

“We took great care to design plans for a development that is a good fit for the neighborhood and for the university,” said Alex Bryant, co-founder and managing partner of Panteras Development Partners. “Our team’s experience and close interaction with Texas Wesleyan culminated in the unique plan for this challenging development site.”

The community consists of a single building, with a modern exterior design incorporating elements consistent with other buildings on campus, 101 secure-gated parking spaces and a total of three floors of residential space. Amenities will include student lounges with large-screen televisions and dedicated study areas.

Each apartment will have an option to come fully furnished and will have wood-style flooring in the common areas, an in-unit washer and dryer, high-end finishes, first-class appliances, cable and high-speed internet.

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“We are extremely pleased to partner with Miyama USA Texas and Panteras Development in providing our students with such a unique living experience,” said Frederick G. Slabach, president of Texas Wesleyan University. “The welcoming, sophisticated environment of the student housing, in a location that allows students to be fully integrated with the campus community, will raise the bar for student living at Texas Wesleyan while fulfilling our strategic vision by enriching our students’ campus experience.”

“We are thrilled to be part of Texas Wesleyan’s long-term vision for growth and advancement as one of the top-tier private universities in the state,” said Takeharu Miyama, chairman and CEO of Miyama USA Texas. “The university leadership team’s enthusiasm for the project reminds me of our experience with UNT, and we look forward to constructing a transformational project that will have such a profoundly positive impact on the community and numerous students for years to come,” Miyama added.

“Based on our past on-campus development experience at the University of North Texas, and active student housing portfolio at Texas Christian University, this project is a perfect fit for Miyama USA Texas to leverage our bootson-the-ground management team while simultaneously aligning with our mission to provide first-class housing to higher education students across North Texas,” said Sawako Miyama, president and COO of Miyama USA Texas.

Leading the development efforts for Panteras Development Partners are Alex Bryant and Jake Proctor, co-founders of the firm. Overseeing funding and management of the community are Takeharu and Sawako Miyama of Miyama USA Texas.

The architect is Steven Halliday, partner with 97w.

CBS 11 highlights opportunities with TXWES Esports program Esports offers student opportunities outside of just gaming

TXWES Esports Director Eugene Frier and two of his students explained how the program involves students with a variety of interests when they appeared on CBS 11 on Sept. 22, 2020.

“If you want to be a streamer, a player, an editor – that desire to want to be involved is the first step. And then we can figure out how to get you connected after that,” Frier told CBS 11.

CBS 11’s multiday series looked at the different opportunities available in North Texas esports. The news station called on TXWES to highlight what college students can get out of pursuing the field.

“It’s not just for gamers, and I think, too often, esports gets a negative light for that. It’s not just gamers in the industry,” said Johnny McNamee, TXWES senior and esports program manager.

Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth is one of more than 200 colleges in the country that offers scholarships for online gaming. The program offers up to 12, $2,000 scholarships for players or program members based on their skill set and role in the program. Frier says their program is built to make sure students have the tools they need to succeed.

Check out txwes.edu/esports for how to get involved.

TXWES ranks as national university in back-to-back years Best Colleges rankings again for TXWES in U.S. News & World Report Texas Wesleyan is, once again, in the national spotlight. For the second year in a row, TXWES is ranked among national universities in the Best Colleges rankings by U.S. News & World Report.

“Our Smaller. Smarter. university is centered around the principle that each student deserves personal attention both inside and outside the classroom,” said President Frederick G. Slabach. “No matter the learning environment, we are committed to this mission, and I’m pleased it’s getting national praise.”

Texas Wesleyan has now been on U.S. News’ radar for a decade. For nine straight years, from 2011-2019, TXWES was ranked in the top tier of regional universities in the west. Last year, the university moved up to the national universities list.

Just as it was last year, TXWES was again ranked on the list of best business programs, and in the social mobility category, which ranks schools based on how successful they are in enrolling and graduating large numbers of students eligible for Pell Grants.

Smaller. Smarter. wins big at Education Digital Marketing Awards TXWES marketing wins more awards against big competition Once again, Texas Wesleyan’s Smaller. Smarter. marketing campaign is winning big.

The fall 2020 edition of the campaign was honored with five more wins as part of the eighth annual Education Digital Marketing Awards, which recognizes the best educational websites, digital content, electronic communications, mobile media and social media. That brings the overall total to 36.

The campaign’s digital billboards won gold in the Electronic Advertising category. Its Spotify/Pandora ads won a silver and a bronze for Miscellaneous Interactive Media.

The undergraduate commercials received a bronze in the Digital Video: Under 2 minutes category, while the Career Services webpage update earned a merit award for Institutional Website Update/Refresh.

Check out the full list of winners: txwes.edu/billboards

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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NEWS & EVE NTS

Alan Liebrecht named new VP of enrollment, marketing and communications

TXWES counselors continue to help their clients virtually

New leadership for TXWES enrollment, marketing and communications

Our lives have not been the same since the COVID-19 pandemic started. But the mental health support the Texas Wesleyan University Community Counseling Center provides has not changed. Its student counselors, along with faculty and staff, continue to train the next generation of counselors by providing virtual services for more than 320 clients.

“We have had to eliminate in-person counseling sessions due to the pandemic. We have worked very hard to switch over to a virtual counseling system for our student counselors, campus clients and community clients,” said J. Scott Methvin, M.Ed., LPC-S, LMFT, LCDC, the center’s clinical director.

“We give access to virtual counseling via video conferencing platforms and provide phone counseling for those that do not have access to video conferencing services.”

For those who are choosing to wait for in-person sessions to resume, the center is providing wellness checks where a student counselor calls regularly to check in on their clients.

And these services come at a great time, as Methvin says more community members have been asking for help.

“We have seen an increase in counseling service requests for students that are experiencing challenges in dealing with the many stressors related to the pandemic. We also have experienced an increase in couple and family counseling requests,” Methvin said.

Student counselors continue to get invaluable training in the field with help from their expert faculty members.

“Master’s students attend three hours of practicum class each week, plus an additional hour of group supervision each week.

Cases are discussed with the doctoral program faculty who are approved supervisors of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy,” said Mike Bishop, associate professor of graduate counseling.

Texas Wesleyan has selected Alan Liebrecht as its next vice president of enrollment, marketing and communications.

Liebrecht brings more than 30 years of student enrollment, retention, recruitment and marketing experience to TXWES, including substantial increases in applicants and new student enrollments and graduations at institutions across the country.

“In our national search for a vice president of enrollment, marketing and communications, we were looking for a candidate with proven leadership, experience and results,” said President Frederick G. Slabach. “Alan’s success throughout his decades-long career made him an impressive candidate. He is the ideal person for this critical role.”

Liebrecht comes to Texas Wesleyan after serving as a senior enrollment management consultant for Connecticutbased Higher Ed Strategies, LLC. Previously, he served as vice president for enrollment management at Holy Names University in Oakland, California, just one of several executive-level positions he has held throughout his career.

His expertise also extends into financial aid, having managed multimillion-dollar financial aid budgets and implemented new leveraging strategies that increased student enrollment.

“Texas Wesleyan strives to be on the cutting edge of student enrollment and marketing strategies,” said Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications Shannon Lamberson. “Alan’s experience in data-informed strategies and leadership will help us build a strategic plan that will continue to bring a thriving, successful student body to our Smaller. Smarter. university.”

“Alan's knowledge of how critical the admissions and financial aid processes are for enrolling and retaining students will be beneficial in ensuring students persist toward their Smaller. Smarter. degree,” said Associate Vice President for Enrollment Djuana Young. “I am excited to have someone with Alan's experience join our team.”

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Counselors know their calling never stops

The Community Counseling Center is open for virtual services 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. Call 817-531-4859 or email TWCCC@txwes.edu for more information.

Theatre Wesleyan performs Portraits In Black TXWES students perform real stories unique to Black Americans

Shanjala Davis-Allen

Theatre Wesleyan performed Portraits In Black, Nov. 20-22, 2020, at the Thad Smotherman Theatre. The show featured five theatre majors who presented playwright Gus Edwards’ monologues and scenes on the Black experience. This show shares real stories and perspectives with the audience that are unique to Black people living in America today.

This production was presented in support of the Texas Wesleyan Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. Texas Wesleyan is committed to providing its students and employees with the opportunity to live, learn and work in a safe, respectful and inclusive environment.

Thanks to the Claudia Stepp Guest Artist Endowment, director Joe Brown recruited D. Wambui Richardson from Fort Worth's Jubilee Theatre to serve as the cultural and artistic advisor during the rehearsal and production process.

Shanjala Davis-Allen, December 2020 Bachelor of Arts graduate, shares her experience about working on Theatre Wesleyan's Portraits In Black.

They should expect real topics. These monologues are things, specifically Black people, are dealing with on an everyday [basis]. This can be a hard show to watch, but I feel that this show is something that everyone needs to experience.”

Julissa Norment, a junior theatre major, tells what she wants audiences to understand when watching the performance. Norment also contributed additional material included in the production.

A Pledge, A Promise is a raw monologue that exposes a truth that resonated with me during our first read through. It's hard-hitting and powerful. I believe some of the best monologues are the ones that go home with you. You carry it in your spirit someway, and it leaves you thinking ‘Yeah … that was something special.’”

Julissa Norment

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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NEWS & EVE NTS

TXWES student honored with prestigious music award

The New York Times features TXWES DNAP student for heartwarming story from the ICU

Jasmin White earns Collegiate Music Educator Award

TXWES DNAP student shares personal ICU story during coronavirus pandemic

Jasmin White, 2020 Bachelor of Music graduate, was awarded the prestigious Collegiate Music Educator Award from the Texas Music Educators Association. This award, only given to the finest and most dedicated future music educators across the state, is an indication of quality for those looking to hire outstanding new teachers. Qualifications include a 3.5 or better GPA and the candidate providing nonmandatory music instruction or being otherwise significantly involved in the local music education community.

White, an exemplary music education student in the final semester of her degree, has more than proven her dedication during her time at Wesleyan. She has been involved in Kappa Kappa Psi, a music-based service fraternity, as an officer and has participated in the President's Honors Concert multiple times, as well as being a student worker in the music department.

“Jasmin is a wonderful student and very much deserving of this recognition. She has been a leader at Wesleyan since her freshman year, maintained high academic standards and overcome adversity to reach this point in her career,” said Dr. Paul Sikes, head of instrumental music studies. “Kids need teachers who know how to succeed, know how to overcome adversity and care for them deeply. Based on her experience here at Wesleyan, I know she is going to be a great teacher and is going to make a positive impact on her community and beyond. I am excited about the wonderful teacher she will be.”

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Ana Laura Gonzalez De La Paz, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice student, was interviewed by The New York Times about her experiences in Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, in July 2020.

After graduating in 2016 with a BSN from Texas State Univeristy, she worked as a nurse for four years before becoming a full-time student in Texas Wesleyan’s DNAP program.

Gonzalez De La Paz told The Times about an opportunity she had with two Spanishspeaking patients on breathing machines that needed her in a crucial moment. Gonzalez De La Paz was able to talk to them in Spanish and translate the medical information that other doctors needed to communicate to the patients.

Gonzalez De La Paz, a DACA recipient, anxiously awaited the Supreme Court decision about DACA – she shared how thankful she was for her parents and their sacrifices as the decision ruled in her favor.

Young Professionals of Texas Wesleyan created to connect employees across campus TXWES employees create community within young professionals The need to connect with others is critical, especially when starting a new job or entering a new field. In an effort to cultivate relationships, network, connect professionally, as well as retain young talent, the Young Professionals of Texas Wesleyan University was created for all employees at Texas Wesleyan University between 22 and 45 years old.

Young Professionals of Texas Wesleyan University will engage with colleagues across our campus to share in our experiences with personal and professional struggles, joys and more to create a support network to, ultimately, better serve our students.

We will network with our peers through virtual social gatherings and learn through workshop opportunities based on the group's interests.

SOHP celebrates the graduation of the first DNPFNP cohort TXWES celebrates first graduates for DNP-FNP The students of the first Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner graduating cohort, admitted spring 2018, were on campus Nov. 4-5, 2020, to present their completed DNP scholarly projects to the faculty. The School of Health Professions hosted an open house poster presentation in the Nick & Lou Martin University Center ballroom to showcase their completed projects.

These students officially graduated on Dec. 12, 2020, and are eligible to take the national certification exam for family nurse practitioner and the national certification exam for nurse coaching. These students have completed more than 1,000 clinical hours in primary care. Many students are already entertaining job offers.

The faculty formally recognizes and congratulates Dr. Melissa Berg, Dr. Anne Lauren Daniel, Dr. Britney De La Rosa, Dr. Richard Ornberg and Dr. Southakon Phandanouvong.

CBS 11 features TXWES Faculty Brass Quintet on holiday music special

S O C I A L C H AT T E R

TXWES faculty performs for CBS holiday special The Texas Wesleyan Faculty Brass Quintet helped bring holiday cheer to North Texas on Christmas morning.

The quintet’s jazzy rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” aired on CBS 11’s Home for the Holidays special. The quintet includes Jerry Bierschenk, associate professor of music; Kurt Bonnett, adjunct professor of trumpet; Paul Sikes, assistant professor of instrumental studies; David Humphreys, adjunct professor of tuba and euphonium; and Eric Hessel, adjunct professor of French horn.

WAT C H T H E P E R F O R M A N C E AT T X W E S . E D U/ B R A S S - Q U I N T E T

TX WES ALU MNI IN THE NEWS

I still cry every time.”

@trey.ware3 Texas Wesleyan provided me with continuing my athletic career, friendships, life lessons, and now receiving my bachelor’s degree. Could not have done it without my family. #GoRams #TXWES

Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns ’99 tells Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Luke Ranker how emotional he still gets 10 years after viral anti-bullying speech for LGBTQ youth.

I feel so much more energy to do more things with my family.”

TXWES alum Alison Miller MSNA ’18 shares her 65-pound weight-loss journey on ABC’s Good Morning America for the show’s “QuaranLEAN” segment that aired in August 2020. Miller talks about how she managed to lose weight while serving on the front lines of COVID-19 and being a mother of two.

Read the full story at txwes.edu/alison

@mrhubby131 Rockin’ the Wesleyan Flame and Shield for some added curb appeal! #txwespromo #ramtime #txwesalumni #txwes

You have to advocate for yourself, and you have to ask questions … find family that will help you and support you and bring somebody with you to ask questions for you. It’s OK to ask.”

TXWES DNAP alum Ginnie LondahlRamsey ’15 told WINK-TV news anchor Sabrina Katz of her own breast cancer diagnosis and how it inspired her to spread the word on awareness.

Working as a nurse anesthetist in South Florida, Londahl-Ramsey is teaming with local surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Arguelles to create a series of evidence-based, educational videos that will empower patients with knowledge of their treatment options.

View the segment at txwes.edu/breast-cancer

@TxWesBaseball Rams volunteering their painting skills @YMLAGPISD

FOLLOW US @TEXASWESLEYAN TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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M OV E R S & S H A K E R S

STEP PING INTO

M I R ACLE S Vernesa Perry MFT ’20 escaped the Bosnian War as a child and walked through Saddam’s empty palaces as a U.S. Army soldier in Iraq. Now she’s a therapist helping cancer patients improve their quality of life.

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Vernesa Perry MFT '20 pictured at Texas Wesleyan. After escaping the Bosnian War as a child, Perry served in the Iraq War (left) shortly after it began.

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s a teenager in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Vernesa Perry (then Dzinic) won the J.C. Penney Co. Golden Rule award for her outstanding volunteer community service.

“She has the heart and soul of someone who wants to be kind to someone,” Linda Metcalf, professor of graduate counseling and one of Perry’s mentors in Texas Wesleyan’s Marriage & Family Therapy Ph.D. program, said.

Ready to help – Perry has always been like that. She brought home a homeless girl and urged her mom to adopt her when she was a young Bosniak girl back in Banja Luka, located in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina. But as sectarian strife grew, each day home looked more and more like a ghost town.

It’s hard not to wonder what happened to those children – thinking of the thousands of children massacred during the Bosnian War. The tremors of the war can still be seen and felt in today’s headlines, and the conflict forever reshaped the Balkan Peninsula.

According to a 2015 report by the European Union-financed website Balkan Insight, thousands of homeless wander the Bosnia-Herzegovina streets.

Lives of untold promise, swept up by the march of history. Thousands more fled across the border to Croatia. The International Committee of the Red Cross would evacuate many from the area. The war claimed more than 200,000 casualties and dislocated more than 2,000,000 people. Vernesa’s father, Dzevad, was killed by a drunk driver shortly before the war. She remembers soldiers barging into her the house and questioning her widowed mother, Taiba, about the men’s clothes still hanging in the closet.

Vernesa and her family crossed the border in a bus – still a far cry from safety. Checkpoints were fraught with fear, and the Serbian Army regularly used the barricades to withhold foreign aid and help from other noncombatants.

Serbian soldiers in Croatia searched Perry’s bus. They robbed and kidnapped other members of their caravan. The bus drove away to the sound of gunshots. Vernesa never looked back – her mother held her close, covering her ears and eyes.

There is Associated Press footage of similar journeys in 1994 available on

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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M OV E R S & S H A K E R S

YouTube. The cramped buses crawl along bumpy roads. Some make it.

Some don’t. Some are stranded in hostile territory, only the equivalent of a few I-35 exits away from freedom.

Wherever you looked, home was hostile territory. “I think I cried for hours,” Perry said. “It was a terrifying trip.”

The Red Cross arranged for Perry’s family to travel from Croatia to the United States – but not before extended family members were detoured to Germany and other places in Europe. Perry and her family landed in New York City – a worldwide symbol of America that didn’t look like the movie posters a young Perry imagined when she pictured the United States. “When they said we were going to live in America, I thought we were going to ride horses [like in Western movies].” Perry said.

“New York was a huge culture shock.”

The family resettled in Sioux Falls. But their new homeland was unfamiliar and foreboding – even more so without interpreters or a vehicle in the middle of a snowstorm. But the kitchen was fully stocked with food, something Perry hadn’t seen in a long time. Perry was in fourth grade, and she was an American.

She took to Sioux Falls quickly. Her mother – and her stepfather, a family friend who helped the family escape from Bosnia – opened a Bosnian grocery store and became anchors for the burgeoning Bosnian community coming to town. She settled into South Dakota life. But the Sept. 11 attacks would change her trajectory – she wanted to serve her adopted country.

Perry graduated from high school and enlisted in the U.S. Army. She was stationed in Germany and Poland before deploying to Iraq in the early

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days of the war. Perry would be among the first forces to step foot in the country.

She talks about her experiences there as if they were yesterday – describing the opulent, deserted palaces of Saddam Hussein and the rest of the country’s Ba’athist ruling class. They were full of gold – one even had a gorgeous tree growing in the center of a gigantic room. But they were empty. “Iraq was so eerie – like a ghost town,” Perry said.

“It was just like a ghost town.”

The work was hard, uncertain – and very, very hot under several layers of gear and protection. Perry served many roles in the military – working first as a cook and then quickly becoming an ammunition specialist.

Even though Perry had never been to Iraq, she quickly developed an understanding of the culture – which had some similarities to her Bosnian upbringing. She would even make friends with an Iraqi contractor married to a Bosnian woman.

“She’s experienced so much in her life she can connect with anybody she meets.”

Linda Metcalf, professor of graduate counseling

She was already suffering from the effects of PTSD when she returned to Germany and was honorably discharged.

first” and encouraged taking tiny steps to health now. “Not everybody is ready to step into a miracle when they are devastated by cancer,” Metcalf said.

Iraq was difficult, but the transition back to the United States may have been more difficult. Like many fellow veterans, home felt strange.

“I remember going to the grocery store and people were just chatting and smiling and going on about their life,” Perry said. “And I just remember sitting there and I just started crying – it was a really hard adjustment.”

Her relationship with Dr. Metcalf helped her publish her work in the book Marriage and Family Therapy: A Practice-Oriented Approach. Perry said getting published was a thrill she never expected, but the help she received from Dr. Metcalf pushed her to reach new milestones.

She struggled to find her place in a home that seemed foreign. She struggled to adapt. But this time, help would find her. Perry met her husband, Adam, and soon found herself moving to Texas with him for his job (Adam is a Fort Worth police officer).

She received her master’s degree in psychology from Capella University.

She began working at a Christian counseling center in Mansfield.

Those dark days marked the end of one era and the beginning of another in Perry’s career and life – one that would lead her to Texas Wesleyan.

“I came across Texas Wesleyan and I remember looking at Linda Metcalf ’s profile – her accomplishments were so intimidating, but she was the opposite of intimidating. The Marriage & Family Ph.D. program just drew me in,” Perry said.

Texas Wesleyan felt like a homecoming. “If I knew back then what I know now, I would have started in marriage and family therapy,” Perry said. “Everything just clicked. When I did my comprehensive exams, I wanted to cry because it was over. I wish I could do it tomorrow all over again.”

Perry graduated in August but continues working at Texas Wesleyan as the disability accommodations coordinator, where she works with the Student Success Center to ensure students thrive at Texas Wesleyan.

She’s also working at the Excel Center of Fort Worth, a children’s hospital that serves children with trauma and behavioral issues. She’s still serving – and thinking of others. “My God, my family and the clients I serve are my inspiration,” Perry said.

Her GI Bill benefits freed her to throw herself into her work – her dissertation studied the quality of life for cancer patients. Perry’s approach helped focus people on how to get back on track with the part of their life that made them feel joy. For many patients, it took the pressure off of “getting well

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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F E AT U R E

“Religious illiteracy hampers so much of what we do in the world today.”

Chad Pevateaux

Kendra Weddle

Chad Pevateaux, assistant professor of religion and philosophy

The Fire Under Grace A new generation of religion professors connects the mysteries of faith to the realities of modern life.

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n a normal semester, Chad Pevateaux, assistant professor of religion and philosophy, might walk into class with a handful of dirt to throw on a desk. He’s not playing in the sandbox – he uses it to explain how the ideas of “clean” and “dirty” relate to one another. Outside it is soil, inside it’s just dirt.

But it’s hard to mail dirt to virtual students without getting a few looks at the post office. Thankfully, he’s found ways to improvise. “Grace has certainly been the watchword of this past semester,” Pevateaux said.

Still, an unorthodox semester has hidden blessings for an unorthodox religion professor who named his cat “Ari” after Dionysius the Areopagite, one of Christian mysticism’s patriarchs (his dog, Jack, is named after a mere philosopher).

Pevateaux, who also teaches courses on religion and the environment, calls his spare opportunities for long runs “his bliss.” He’s been bicycling the Trinity Trails regularly.

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“I’m not trying to give [students] the best answers,” Pevateaux said, “as much as I am trying to give them the best questions.”

He’s heard more than his share of good questions. Pevateaux worked as a youth minister at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Austin for eight years, and while that might conjure images of church gyms and singalongs for some, it’s often weighty work.

Many students were dealing with serious issues – suicidal thoughts, poor self-image – and the questions those students asked weighed on Pevateaux.

Then came 9/11.

Those difficult days were full of questions without answers – in those places where black and white turn gray.

He studied mystics and the history of mysticism across religions, including his own in graduate school – first at Harvard and then at Rice.

These gray areas have a funny effect – they are common ground for many religions. The silence after a question

asked is a shared experience. “Mystics of different traditions often look more like one another than they do with the more extreme versions of their own traditions,” Pevateaux said, though he is quick to clarify that doesn’t mean everyone is saying “the same thing.”

“I try to push people beyond simplistic understandings of a big guy up in the sky or an overly simplistic interpretation of a text,” Pevateaux said. “These are all very authentic to the richness of Christian tradition.”

That led Pevateaux to work in Interfaith Leadership, an idea rooted in understanding and cooperation.

Pevateaux, who is Episcopalian but received his bachelor’s degree at Methodist-affiliated Southwestern University, also sees parallels to the life of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

“We are following the guidance of John Wesley that we should be striving for doing good of every possible sort and as far as possible to all,” Pevateaux said. “One of the reasons I love teaching at Texas Wesleyan is because we have that sort of history and heritage.”

Religion students nationwide decreased significantly in the last decade following a boom after the 9/11 attacks. But big moments – like domestic strife and public health crises – tend to call out the seekers who want to know more.

The religion department launched a new curriculum, Kendra Weddle, department chair and professor of religion, said, that widens the lens for students to see the big picture in their work, communities and lives. That includes a new Interfaith Leadership minor that prepares leaders to work in the real world and is already drawing students. A group including Pevateaux also started Texas Wesleyan’s Interfaith

Leadership Initiative last fall.

“We want to give students the knowledge and the skills to be able to do some bridge-building across religious traditions,” Weddle said, “and we want those skills to be something that they can use in any situation that they might find themselves in as part of a career.”

In other words, Interfaith Leadership is a minor that pairs well with business or a STEM degree, Weddle said, not just because it’s a smart career move, but because religious issues impact every part of life – now more than ever. In the classroom. In the hospital. In the workplace.

Students of Methodist history may once again find parallels in this strategy to the work of John Wesley and his followers – a focus on education and helping all across society (Wesley’s early ministries took root with miners on the edge of British society).

Bringing those ideas and traditions into real-life context is a recurring theme. Pevateaux’s most recent paper, “How the Story of Job May Help Us All Get Along” looks increasingly relevant in an era dominated by COVID-19 headlines and civil unrest.

“When you ask questions about religion, you’re already doing something scary,” Pevateaux said. Both he and Weddle describe an approach that is more contemplative and more personal than hardline religious settings – “compassionate critical thinking.”

That means the classroom is also experiential and fun. Pevateaux uses the Socratic method and has been known to bring Play-Doh to class to explain Buddhist concepts. The result is engagement and curiosity. “Religious illiteracy hampers so much of what we do in the world today,” Pevateaux said.

It can be an adjustment for students who are used to studying to the test, but it also pushes them to use self-

Haley Arnspiger-Dierke ’20

reflection to connect the information with their own lives. Pevateaux is more than comfortable with silence in his classroom. “It’s an authentic Christian tradition to sit in silence,” Pevateaux said.

It’s such a tradition that it has its own field of study – contemplative studies. Students get to explore ideas of mindfulness and meditation across religious traditions – and compare them with scientific studies. A mindfulness break is also a good idea if a hot-button conversation gets emotional.

Teaching religion is playing the long game. “We are planting seeds that may not receive cultivation until students are 10, 20 or 30 years out of the classroom,” Weddle said.

That may be true, but for many students the outcome is immediate.

Haley Arnspiger-Dierke ’20 says her pre-COVID-19 study abroad trip to Greece with the religion department and a senior-level seminar course led

by Pevateaux ignited a lifelong passion.

“That class amped me up and changed my desire and passion for studying religion,” Arnspiger-Dierke said. “He introduced me to theology and theologians I didn’t know existed.”

Arnspiger-Dierke says her religion professors noticed her fire and put it to work.

“I’ve just been so encouraged

by Pevateaux and Dr. Weddle,” Arnspiger-Dierke said. “There was no way I could not be seen by them.”

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TEXAS WESLEYAN’S 2020 VISION BLAZED A BOLD TRAIL FOR ITS ’10S. ITS NEW 2025 STRATEGIC PLAN SETS THE BAR EVEN SMARTER – WITH A FOCUS ON REAL-WORLD IMPACT.

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Texas Wesleyan is entering a new decade feeling optimistic. It’s not misplaced confidence – the years during the university’s 2020 Vision strategic plan saw arguably the greatest period of expansion and growth since President Law Sone walked the campus. Its campus footprint has grown, and its online programs continue to spread the word near and far about the benefits of a “Smaller. Smarter.” education. Texas Wesleyan can see the future from its perch on the highest point in Fort Worth like never before – and the future looks bright.

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But as any one of Texas Wesleyan’s team coaches will tell professionals, business executives, community influencers, you, a slight lead is a dangerous position – a time when it’s too and religious leaders – to name a few. Put simply, critical easy to rest on your laurels. That’s not the Wesleyan Way – it’s thinking is citizen thinking. always been a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of community. “2020 Texas Wesleyan is, in a sense, “bottling” the diverse, Vision has been a great roadmap for us since we implemented high-impact educational opportunities that allow students it in 2011,” President Frederick G. Slabach said. “Now we’re to explore disciplines and careers in real-world, hands-on ready to build on its success with our next strategic plan, settings that increase knowledge and grow wisdom. This which will point the way student-focused planning forward to an even brighter requires the academic and future for Texas Wesleyan.” personal support to ensure Its new strategic plan students thrive. It also Texas Wesleyan is, in a sense, looks to 2025: What will requires, to paraphrase “bottling” the diverse, high-impact we look like? What will our Hopper, trying out new graduates do – and who will ideas in the classroom and educational opportunities that allow they do it for? More than building new bonds across students to explore disciplines and any strategic plan in Texas its communities.

Wesleyan’s recent past, the Think about that vision: careers in real-world, hands-on university is measuring that An in-person and online settings that increase knowledge “how can we help?” factor. campus that is staffed by and grow wisdom.

That makes for a clear trained scholar-mentors vision: Empowering the with the technology and university’s communities, resources to light up creating jobs and sparking students that are ready a flame inside each student, faculty, staff and alum to be a to make an impact in the real world. A worthy goal, an lifelong learner. obtainable goal – and one designed to make an impact It’s a mighty goal. Here’s how the university intends to right here, right now. These resources must be accessible get there. for students – which means continued investment in the facilities, both on campus and digital.

Learning to investigate the tough questions

“The most dangerous phrase in the English language is ‘We’ve always done it this way.’” The quote is often attributed to Grace Hopper, a U.S. Navy rear admiral and computer scientist, and it strikes at the serious risks associated with uncreative, disengaged noncritical thinking – progress requires both vigilance and reinvention. Creative problemsolving skills bring together curiosity, critical thinking and investigation to produce results that pioneer change.

Graduates occupy decompartmentalized roles that don’t fit into a simple degree name more than ever – a yoga instructor is also a marketer and business owner; a minister is compelled to investigate living conditions in their parish. Curiosity leads to investigation. People with good analytical reasoning skills find answers and add to the larger body of knowledge – in academics and as lifelong learners.

Weak critical thinking skills pose serious risks for even degree-holding individuals with high income levels. It’s also a learned skill – improving your critical thinking skills gives you greater control over your own life and decisions. Skilled critical thinkers know how to ask the right questions and are often quickly promoted into leadership positions as medical

Connecting communities that empower each other Break boundaries. It’s not a cliché, it’s vital for students to thrive at Texas Wesleyan. Universities have long been accused of being ivory towers – places where much theory is learned but little ever happens. But Texas Wesleyan’s history is anything but typical for higher education, and its communities – its student body, faculty, staff, graduates, as well as its Methodist neighbors and community business partners – believe in a shared vision that deep connections influence long-lasting positive change. Texas Wesleyan is inextricably linked to its east Fort Worth home – and vice versa.

The Engage 2025 plan puts a point on breaking boundaries – in a region often where even the most connected communities can still be insulated by roads and commuting patterns. It is an inclusive and global view of community that starts in our backyard and works out steadily across the globe.

Wesleyan magazine highlighted the university’s Diversity & Inclusion Council in the fall 2020 issue – diversity and inclusion are more than a goal; the two are an integral part of what makes Texas Wesleyan an important institution.

Diversity and inclusion connect our communities into TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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TRAINING BRIDGE BUILDERS The themes in Texas Wesleyan’s Engage 2025 plan reflect the university’s longstanding Texas-sized reputation.

Charles (Chuck) Willett ’66 reflects on how his years at Texas Wesleyan prepared him for a lifetime of service – and why bridge builders are more important than ever.

I discovered the inspiring poem “The Bridge Builder” by Will Allen Dromgoole in the book Leaves of Gold, presented to me and other high school graduates from St. Luke’s Methodist Church of Dallas in 1961. The last verse reads:

expected to become a youth minister. Dr. Alice Wonders helped me secure a summer youth director position at First Methodist Church in Raymondville, Texas, where I served for four consecutive summers.

Each experience gave me valuable lessons in “sailing through mostly smooth waters,” but also had some unexpected turns along the way. The various courses and lessons learned eventually directed me to being accepted as a member of the Washington, D.C.-based National Teacher Corps Cycle 1 in the summer of 1966. By joining, I agreed to a two-year contract to teach in a lowincome area high school

The builder lifted his old gray head.

while earning a master’s

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said, “There followeth after me today A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been naught to me To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

degree at the University of Houston. My career as an educator included three years as a teacher, four years as a school counselor and 23 years as an administrator in the Galveston ISD. I have reflected many

Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

times on the legendary history of the wise and caring professors,

My Texas Wesleyan journey began in the summer of 1960, when I attended Campus Institute conducted by the North Texas Conference of the Methodist Church. I lived in O.C. Armstrong Hall for a full week and attended a variety of classes and workshops in Texas Wesleyan classrooms.

That experience solidified my decision to choose Texas Wesleyan as my school of choice for my higher education experience, and I was thrilled to be accepted during my senior year at North Dallas High School. It was about that time I was inspired by “The Bridge Builder” poem. It and Texas Wesleyan have been the foundation for my life of service. During my five years as a student at TXWES, I was wisely guided by various motivating and encouraging faculty and staff members. Originally, I

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administrators and staff at Texas Wesleyan.

I marvel at how their counsel guided me during my years as a student, continuing throughout my entire career, and persists even today as I continue to serve others as a mentor and in a variety of ways during my very active retirement years – all inspired by the examples taught and demonstrated for me at Texas Wesleyan. Today’s educational requirements include not just preparing students for work, but to embrace and excel in diverse environments while taking into consideration viewpoints from many perspectives.

– Charles (Chuck) Willett ’66

something more unified and capable of change and empowerment.

Community building as described in the strategic plan takes elbow grease – at every level of the university. Student curricular, cocurricular and extracurricular engagement are sensory. See. Listen. Do. Ask. Go. Engage. Communities have guts, because they are made up of interrelated systems that support and power each other. Research shows the most successful universities are the ones most deeply tied to serving the needs of their communities.

Leadership is a learned behavior. It takes practice, repetition and introspection.

So, back to the elbow grease: For Texas Wesleyan it means to deepen and grow its decades-long revitalization of the Polytechnic Heights community in a way that creates opportunities for students, faculty and staff to engage with the neighborhood from the ground level. That investment creates community investment and economic revitalization that goes far beyond buzzwords. These are goals with metrics – graduation rates, job placements, financial health and alumni engagement to name a few. Progress is not inevitable, but it is measurable.

These aren’t luxury experiences for students looking to pad their resumes. These are integral moments when all the coursework clicks, where mentors are made, bonds are forged and lifelong purpose is discovered. Internships, experiential learning and other hands-on activities aren’t simply designed for on-the-job experience, they are designed to build and surround students with community. “You’ll meet your best friends in college” is so cliché. You’ll build your community at Texas Wesleyan.

But diamonds are meant to shine, and curb appeal is still central to a university that, during the last decade, reintroduced itself to the neighborhood with the Rosedale Renaissance, which included the Canafax Clock Tower and new main campus entrance. The Nick & Lou Martin University Center followed. No matter where a Texas Wesleyan student is across the globe or online, they know home is a real place, located just east of downtown Fort Worth.

Recent years have seen renewed interest in Polytechnic’s history, (many Texas Wesleyan professors have contributed to the body of knowledge about the neighborhood over the years).

It is fitting for the neighborhood that first tamed Fort Worth’s Wild West Cowtown image in the early 20th century (read more about Texas Wesleyan’s early history on page 22).

Leading with boots on the ground Great leaders are well-prepared. They see problems before others and make adjustments that save lives. They have know-how.

It’s a road Texas Wesleyan has traveled down since its online programs began to grow exponentially in the late 2010s. Leaders don’t stand in one place – they must be at the center of it all. To that end, innovative, agile and adaptive practices – online learning, flexible programs and adaptable learning – will go hand-in-hand with a renewed focus on professional development both inside the university and through its offerings.

So many universities and institutions tack “leadership” into their big picture planning, but those lofty ideas rarely touch the ground. Leadership is a learned behavior. It takes practice, repetition and introspection.

Leadership development requires role models – and Texas Wesleyan is planning to grow their own through extensive professional development at all levels – focused on creating an environment where leadership flourishes – that means longer ethical discussions and an intentional focus on civic responsibility. Education leads to integration.

What separates Texas Wesleyan’s strategic plan from other universities is a focus on real, tangible action in existing communities – it’s smart, but real-world.

Leadership starts with the next action you take. In that spirit, there is a focus on focus – connecting academic experiences with on-campus extracurricular and athletic programming that is already happening.

You can feel a locus of power developing at the heart of campus, but the goal is to “bottle it.” Off-campus alumni and professional interactions provide real experience and prepare students for the type of ethical and professional decisions they might make as a graduate. Professional connections to industry leaders give students a sense of what it’s like to sit in the big chair and make big decisions.

SEE THE PLAN Read more about the Engage 2025 plan – and how it’s measured at txwes.edu/engage2025

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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F E AT U R E

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A PANDEMIC? Texas Wesleyan has seen pandemics and outbreaks before – and they shaped the next decades.

BY DARREN WHITE

T

he coldest day recorded in Fort Worth history is Feb. 12, 1899, when the temperature dropped to -8 degrees Fahrenheit. Arctic weather covered the country, and it would eventually become known as the Great Blizzard of 1899. It was a cold and bitter winter, and the struggle continued into spring.

A smallpox case shut campus down in spring 1899 – one of many diseases going around at the time. The closure periled the little Polytechnic College, which had opened less than a decade earlier. But the temporary closure would come with a silver lining. The ill, unnamed student would recover from smallpox and go on to pastor a church. The short closure allowed the young, struggling college to regroup and focus on its mission. The campus reopened to greater success in fall 1899.

The Armour and Swift meatpacking plants that would forever cement Fort Worth’s economic fortunes and reputation as Cowtown were still three years away. All that Texas crude was still in the ground. It was a dark and uncertain time for the education pioneers on the Texas prairie.

Polytechnic Heights was little more than a dream on a hill and Fort Worth was so family-unfriendly that female

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students weren’t allowed to go there without an escort (men could – and did – go alone). Polytechnic advertised itself as removed from the dangers of the Wild West city.

The famed photo of the outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid that gives Sundance Square its name was taken a year later in 1900.

That wild atmosphere had much to do with the opening of Polytechnic College to begin with, and the early days of the century would be a time of great social and economic change for Fort Worth. The interurban line connected the school to the rapidly growing city. What had once been “Cowtown” was becoming something more – a big city. A growing population of businessmen and their families were a great civilizing force for Fort Worth. Early programs included business typing, which allowed students to get a certificate as a scribe.

“It was a very important part of Polytechnic – to train these people not only to be pastors,” Risa Brown, reference assistant in the West Library and author of Polytechnic Days: Texas Wesleyan’s First Decade 1891-1901 said, “but also to train business leaders so that they had ethics and integrity.”

Brown said Texas Wesleyan’s story is intertwined with both Fort Worth and its public health across its history, especially its early days, and its impact shaped Texas Wesleyan’s future in real and tangible ways we still see today – oftentimes for the better.

Where most infections seize the very young and very old, the 1918 flu struck young and healthy people, which made it a topic of concern for the growing country – then in the midst of World War I.

otherwise establishing churches in the sparsely populated Oklahoma (which became a state in 1907), fighting in the Spanish-American War and starting businesses. While Polytechnic College might have lacked the antihero image of “Hell’s Half Acre,” one might argue the impact of its students would have far longer-lasting and farther-reaching impacts.

It doesn’t always feel like living history at the time, but Brown believes the COVID-19 pandemic will have significant impacts on the next decade at Texas Wesleyan.

She says it’s a good idea to revisit this pandemic five years after its end to reflect on what the campus has learned. “We can take the lessons from this,” Brown said, “and build a stronger foundation.”

The 1918 flu pandemic didn’t impact the then all-female school’s operations the way the smallpox outbreak did, but it very much altered daily life on the campus. Page 166 of the university’s 1920 yearbook features a short poem about the pandemic adorned by an illustration of a female student wearing a face covering.

Louis Sherwood ’89, university archivist, did find many references to the death of Elsie Greenman, a German instructor at the school, in 1918. Her young death (she was 40) and quick burial suggest the flu may have been the cause of death. There are references to other campus community members suffering from bouts of the flu.

The flu seems to have also been a topic of discussion in that year’s student government campaigns, too. Literary societies were the primary social clubs of the time, and the then all-female school was abuzz with the progressivism of the early century. “Women of that time were very socially conscious,” Brown said. “They were very aware of what was going on in the world and were always quick to raise money and do things that would help others.”

It was a time of great loss, though. Many lost loved ones in the pandemic as well as World War I. Many female graduates would quickly find their degrees going to work in schools and other civic organizations. “It launched them into the ability to take care of themselves and their families,” Brown said.

One of the most interesting things about the 1918 pandemic is the lack of documentation surrounding it – both at Texas Wesleyan and worldwide. The event seemed to be etched deep in people’s brains – and they did not want to revisit it. Likewise, the pandemic may have kicked off a new sense of abandon and optimism in the 1920s – the spark that turned a decade in the aftermath of the pandemic and World War I into the Roaring ’20s.

But even before the ’20s, the young students of Polytechnic would lead lives of adventure – risking death by virus or

A poem in the 1920 yearbook references the two-year 1918 flu pandemic.

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SPORTS REPORT

Q&A with Gabriella Gracia Badillo TXWES volleyball player called to serve her country What started as a dream turned into reality for senior business major and volleyball player Gabriella Gracia Badillo. She set important goals for her future in her youth, and she is achieving them today through Texas Wesleyan.

Gracia has been interested in playing collegiate sports, enrolling in an ROTC program and joining the U.S. Army since she was in high school. She reflects on her experiences with TXWES athletics, ROTC and how they have shaped her to become the leader that she wants to be in her career.

Where are you from? What was it like moving far away from home?

I am from San Juan, Puerto Rico, an island in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico has great universities but, since I was little, I always saw myself studying in the U.S. One of my goals was to get a scholarship and play volleyball in college, and I got it. I am very close to my family.

Leaving Puerto Rico for school was not the easiest decision to make, but I knew what I wanted, and I went for it. The two years in Kentucky [State University] helped me become very independent, every day I saw how much growth came from being there. Kentucky gave me the 24

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opportunities of being a part of an HBCU (historically black college and university), the volleyball and softball teams, and the Army ROTC program. Texas was a good change. I have met many people from different ethnicities; I have joined a new Army ROTC program that has given me the courage and leadership to continue my Army career; and volleyball has given me new opportunities on and off the court. Every time I get to come back to Puerto Rico, I feel how much I have changed because of the decision to study in the U.S. I can confidently say that I have worked for everything I have accomplished in my college career. It is hard to move away from what you are used to but, in the end, it is worth the sacrifice.

What made you interested in ROTC? Tell us about your participation and when you started.

My interest in the Army started when I was in about 10th grade. I have family members that are retired from Army and Navy; I would always see them as such strong role models. I wanted to feel that strong and courageous. In the process of applying to colleges, I would check if they offered the Army ROTC program just in case I would want to join at some point. Before transferring to Texas Wesleyan University, I was a student at Kentucky State University in Frankfort. In my first semester I focused on volleyball, softball and school, but I did talk to the ROTC recruiter at that time which was Maj. Hill. I ended up joining the ROTC program the second semester of my freshman year. I took that second semester as an opportunity to see what military life would feel like.

What interested you about enlisting in the military after graduation?

The Army ROTC program provides you with the flexibility to pay for college, which was one of the pivotal things that interested me about joining.

I wanted to help my family pay for college and help myself by establishing a stable job after graduation. After I graduate, I will officially commission as

a second lieutenant. I will go into the Army with a rank and in a position in which I will lead soldiers day to day.

My goal after I graduate is to be in the Army Reserves as a physical therapist and go to physical therapy school for my master’s and doctor’s degree. My goal when it comes to physical therapy is to be a doctor and to have my own clinic/gym with a fitness clothing line.

When it comes to the Army, I have no end game, I plan on serving until I see more opportunities to pursue.

What have you learned from ROTC and playing volleyball?

Volleyball and ROTC have taught me that I am stronger than I think I am and that I can push any limitation put in front of me. Every single person I have met has taught me something new about myself that has helped me grow as a person. I feel very grateful to have been able to grow as a part of a college volleyball team and Army ROTC program. When I look back at the person I was before being a part of these programs, I feel proud of who I have become. I know that the people and the experiences have prepared me to be the best version of myself possible.

From player to coach: KATIE BAUGH Former women’s soccer player transitions to assistant coach game winner at Bacone College and a score during a SAC tournament win over Southwestern Christian University.

She concluded her playing career as part of the 2018 Sooner Athletic Conference championship team. Now Baugh is on the sidelines coaching some of her former teammates as they enter their 22nd overall season at TXWES. We caught up with Baugh to learn more about her transition from player to coach.

What is the biggest difference between being a player and a coach?

A familiar face will be seen with the Texas Wesleyan women’s soccer team in the 2021 season. Only instead of scoring goals, she will be directing them. Katie Baugh is the new assistant coach for the team after playing three seasons as a defender for the Lady Rams from 2016-2018.

Baugh hails from Arlington and played at Lamar High School under coach Kay Giocondo. She started her college soccer career at Navarro Junior College and then transferred to Texas Wesleyan as a sophomore.

She immediately made an impact in the 2016 season starting all 18 games and scoring three goals, including the

The biggest difference has to be the mind set of it all. It is not all about actually getting to play the game when I show up to a practice, now it is about playing the game from a coaching standpoint, meaning coming up with practice plans, making sure all the girls have what they need to be able to do the job on the field, making sure we have the transportation we need to be able to get to and from our games.

Whereas before I went to a meeting at the beginning of the year, I got handed a bag and it had all my practice, game stuff and other clothing that had been ordered, in my size all ready to go. Now I am part of that process of helping

head women’s soccer coach Josh Gibbs get everything ordered in the right sizes and getting the bags packed and ready to hand out to the team. I never really thought a lot as a player how much goes into getting everything set up and ready to go for the season and now being a part of that is a real eye-opener.

What are you most looking forward to experiencing as a coach?

What I am looking forward to most would have to be the growth you get to see in the players throughout the years they will have here at Texas Wesleyan.

Not just their playing abilities but their personalities and just becoming their own person with a voice. But I am also very excited to get the opportunity to work with and learn from Josh. He taught me so much when I played for him, I can’t wait to see how he works through different scenarios that come up on and off the field and finding the best possible solution that will help the team in the best way possible. Josh has a great soccer mind. He has been doing this for a long time and for him to take me in as a new grad who has no coaching experience, only played the game, is just an exciting experience to get to be on a different part of the team now.

Critical partnership ensures TXWES student-athletes are returning to play safely UNT Health Science Center keeps TXWES athletics safe to play Texas Wesleyan Athletics and the UNT Health Science Center are working together to make sure student-athletes are physically ready to return to play after testing positive for COVID-19.

Before being cleared, each student must go through an athletic screening, which can help identify potentially dangerous side effects of COVID-19, including myocarditis.

“Whenever patients who’ve recovered from COVID exercise during the acute phase of myocarditis, that can lead to dangerous and lethal rhythms of the heart,” Laine Markham,

cardiology physician assistant at UNT Health Science Center, told WFAA. So far, more than 60 athletes have been screened. If any issues are identified during screening, the athletes are then tested further.

“Definitely gives me peace of mind, gives the athletes some peace of mind,” TXWES head athletic trainer Peter Brock told WFAA. See the full story at txwes.edu/athlete-safety

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ALUMNI

Donor gifts drive success for TXWES seniors Meet the 2020 alumni association scholarship recipients Each year, the Texas Wesleyan Alumni Association awards scholarships to deserving students who have relatives that have attended the university. These scholarships are funded by the alumni association and the support of TXWES alumni and friends. Meet a few of the students that were directly impacted by these funds and where they’re going after graduation.

Alyssa Ellis

Drew Sancillo

Gabie Maxey

Senior forensic accounting major

Senior business major and baseball player

Senior psychology major

“TXWES gives us a chance to voice our opinions and they listen! I feel heard and seen here.”

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I plan on applying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be a forensics accountant intern in their honors program. After I am done with the program, I hope to land a job in the accounting department of the FBI. I love to learn about crime and the thinking behind it so I can help solve it.

What are your favorite things about being a student at Texas Wesleyan?

I appreciate the opportunities that the students have, the voice we have in decisions and the amount of support we have with our studies. There are many opportunities to meet people that are already established in the careers we study every day. There are always surveys and emails going out to us making sure that we are still on the right track to succeed and be our best selves. TXWES gives us a chance to voice our opinions and they listen! I feel heard and seen here.

Tell us more about you.

I belong to a large family that owns a small grocery store as a family business in Kansas.

I was introduced to working at a young age, which has given me a great work ethic. I love playing board games with my family, and we play them after dinner almost every day. I love different types of music such as gospel, pop, rhythm and blues, and country.

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“He leads by example and is truly a professional in everything he does. Drew is an outstanding teammate and a pleasure to coach.”

– Head baseball coach Bobby Garza

“Throughout my time at this school, I have never regretted my decision to begin my journey toward my Ph.D. here.”

What are your future plans?

What are your future plans?

After graduation I am planning on working toward my MBA at Texas Wesleyan while pursuing a job in my area of study. Preferably, I would like to get a job related to sports or hunting since I have a great passion for both of those things.

My plans after graduation are going to grad school and obtaining a Ph.D. in neuropsychology. It is my vision to understand neuropsychological disorders based on brain behavior.

Why did you choose Texas Wesleyan?

I love the fact that Texas Wesleyan is close to home and the amazing reputation the college has. I am able to get a great education and still commute between home and school.

The classes are smaller, so I feel like I get a better connection with my classmates and my teachers. I am on the TXWES baseball team so being able to play sports and receive a great education is a huge plus.

Tell us more about you.

I enjoy spending time with my family. We take day trips or just shopping trips with my grandparents on the weekend when I am not playing baseball. I love hunting on our family ranch in West Texas. I am also actively involved in my church.

Why did you choose Texas Wesleyan?

I chose Texas Wesleyan to take advantage of the Smaller. Smarter. community. I was also looking for a school closer to home, and TXWES was a perfect campus to commute to. Throughout my time at this school, I have never regretted my decision to begin my journey toward my Ph.D. here.

What is your favorite thing about being a student at TXWES? I appreciate the culture of the campus and the one-on-one relationship I have with my professors. TXWES also has many resources for students to get involved on campus and a variety of outlets for students to hold leadership roles in those campus organizations. I’ve had the opportunity to serve in leadership roles in two campus organizations and it’s been a great learning experience!

Tell us a fun fact about you.

I am an all-time winner in my family’s annual baking competition! (This baking competition is very serious, and we have family fly down from Washington to participate.)

The passing of favorite professor, Dr. Carl G. Schrader Alumni honors beloved professor and friend of TXWES On Tuesday, Feb. 9, the Texas Wesleyan community lost In addition to teaching, Dr. Schrader was a Presbyterian someone near and dear to its heart. Dr. Carl G. Schrader, minister for 57 years, most recently serving at the First professor emeritus, passed away after a short illness.

Presbyterian Church in Crowley. He also spearheaded the Dr. Schrader taught at Texas Wesleyan for 36 years, from retired faculty luncheons that met twice a year on the Texas 1962 until his retirement in 1998. However, Dr. Schrader Wesleyan campus. On Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, alumni, did much more than teach. He was the faculty and staff celebrated Dr. Schrader’s founding faculty advisor for Alpha Phi 90th birthday by attending a surprise birthday Omega in the 1960s and the former lunch at a local restaurant. Dr. Schrader, sponsor for Sigma Tau Delta, Alpha a humble man who preferred not to be the Chi, Lambda Chi Alpha (Altoco) and center of attention, was moved by the large Sons of Sakkara. He was an emeritus number of guests who honored him that day. member on the Texas Wesleyan Dr. Schrader was special. He was invested University Alumni Association in his students’ lives, both in and out of Board of Directors, and received the the classroom. Texas Wesleyan University Honorary Alumni Award in 2012. He President Frederick G. Slabach shared, “Over was a favorite professor, receiving the the last 10 years, I have visited with hundreds student awarded Order of the Golden of alumni who have asked about ‘Doc Rule several times during his tenure.

Schrader’ and have volunteered information He sponsored an annual scholarship about the impact he had on their lives.” for the athlete with the highest GPA, It is our hope to raise $25,000 by May 31 If you would like to celebrate and attended the sporting events of his to endow a scholarship in Dr. Schrader’s Dr. Schrader’s life with a memorial students. Following the games, memory. If the goal is not reached by May 31, gift, make your gift today.

Dr. Schrader would seek out the players the funds will be placed in the Dr. Carl G. and comment on their individual Schrader Tribute Scholarship Fund, which is a Make your donation at performances. part of the Wesleyan Fund. advancement.txwes.edu/ schradertribute

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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Mentorship in a Moment A lifetime in education led the Locke family to Texas Wesleyan.

Tom Locke is president of the Texas Methodist Foundation and a lifelong Methodist who traces his family roots in the denomination to 1850. A self-described “small town banker” by trade, he’s lived in Georgetown, Texas, for more than 40 years.

It’s a long way from Sherman, Texas, where Locke grew up.

He was the first in his family to receive an undergraduate degree – a bachelor’s degree in business from Texas A&M University in 1974. His wife, Cindy, served as a university administrator at Southwestern University. Education is more than a practice for the Locke family – it’s a value they hope to pass through generations.

That’s one of the reasons he and Cindy made an estate gift to Texas Wesleyan. Their estate gift is planned to help first-generation college students – in a place where those students can thrive. “The [giving] conversation doesn’t begin with what the university needs,” he said. “It begins with what your values and beliefs are.”

It’s also why Locke’s oldest son, Collin Locke ’04, chose to attend Texas Wesleyan.

Locke is a fan of his son: He calls Collin “one of the best people ever,” and hoped he would find the type of professional mentorship Locke found so valuable in college. Collin was a bright, talented student looking to discover his passion for learning.

And Collin did, from Allen Henderson, professor of psychology and former provost. The two quickly formed a bond that propelled him forward into his life and career. “He took Collin under his wing,” Locke said. “He gave him guidance, personal counseling and academic counseling.”

His final years at Texas Wesleyan were nothing short of stellar.

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“What happened in that class wasn’t a transaction or learning a date or a name ... it was a transformation of a young student.”

Collin, the once-apathetic student, received a master’s degree in history. Now he’s teaching honors history courses in the Conroe Independent School District. He’s thriving – and he’s passing that mentorship along.

Locke said he feels emotional when he hears Collin tell him about a student he helped. “What happened in that class wasn’t a transaction or learning a date or a name,” Locke said. “It was a transformation of a young student.”

Helping never helps only one person. The good work goes on. “It takes a school like Texas Wesleyan, with its culture and its sense of purpose, for that story to occur,” Locke said.

Collin’s success as an educator stresses the importance of vision beyond the here and now – beyond the present.

Locke says that vision grows more than just the academic potential of the individual. “The purpose of Texas Wesleyan is to create good citizens,” Locke said. “People who understand how to relate to one another, to God, to community and to some greater vision of what they can be.”

It’s an idea Methodists have upheld for centuries – in fact, Locke says that universities like Texas Wesleyan were partly founded from a Methodist belief that communities needed more than a church. Methodists built community centers, hospitals and universities across the United States, and those institutions are still growing.

He remembers a conversation he had with a theologian years ago – the theologian was lamenting that universities had largely given up on teaching students a deeper understanding of relationship. “But I think there are places that are still involved in helping provide a deeper understanding of relationships,” Locke said. “I believe Texas Wesleyan is one of those places.”

S TAY U P T O DAT E W I T H A L U M N I H ave yo u u p d a te d yo u r i n f o r m a t i o n w i t h o u r o f f i c e? C a l l 8 1 7- 5 3 1 - 6 5 4 8 o r e m a i l u s a t a l u m n i @ t x we s . e d u to s t ay u p to d a te o n a l l a l u m n i n e w s a n d eve n t s .

F o l l ow u s o n I n s t a g r a m

@ t x we s a l u m n i

GPNA building to expand with new renovations TXWES expands for updated capacity in GPNA Simulation Center In response to the increased demand for advanced practice nursing, Texas Wesleyan created the School of Health Professions in the fall of 2017. This school combined the university’s counseling programs with the master’s and doctoral degrees in nurse anesthesia, then added a Doctor of Nursing Practice – Family Nurse Practitioner program in spring 2018.

Now, with a new requirement that all newly trained nurse anesthetists must have a doctorate by 2022 rather than the previous master’s degree requirement, the school has had to shift again to implement a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice.

The Texas Wesleyan Graduate Programs in Nurse Anesthesia implemented the new DNAP program in fall 2019, and at the same time began an aggressive campaign to convert the existing two-room simulation labs into a three-room simulation center allowing for an expansion in the capacity of the existing GPNA building.

The renovation project has three components: 1) Expansion from two simulation labs into a simulation center with three labs; 2) Expansion of restrooms in the existing GPNA building; 3) Renovation of student center and lounge.

With the largest nurse anesthesia program in the United States, expansion of the current lab is vital to engage students in clinical scenarios that promote and enhance anesthesia skills, residency competence, teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration. Each student spends 50 to 75 hours in the lab each year. Students incorporate learning objectives that include anesthetic planning, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, physiology, airway management, invasive and noninvasive monitoring, spinal and epidural anesthesia and crisis management. To address future needs and numbers of students, the existing space with two labs, a classroom and three offices will be reconfigured to create three labs, a pre-op room, a debriefing room, four offices, and control rooms for

observing and recording simulation sessions.

The cost to outfit and maintain medical simulation labs is significant. Of the project’s $2 million budget, over $800,000 is dedicated to buying new equipment, patient simulation manikins and supplies to stock each simulation lab. This part of the project’s implementation helps the university plan for future maintenance and upgrades, which can range from $50,000 to $150,000 annually.

The restroom capacity in the existing GPNA facility will be expanded to better serve the students in the program. This expansion is an important component of the project in that students utilize the GPNA building spaces on average eight hours per day. With a greater number of students and a more rigorous program, students will need facilities that meet needs for longer periods of time.

The student center and lounge is a critical hub for the GPNA program. Most students arrive at the GPNA building at 8 a.m. and stay for morning, afternoon and evening classes. Located outside the classroom auditorium and across the hall from the simulation center, the student center provides a collaborative space to meet with faculty and work with fellow students. It also serves as an impromptu dining area. The renovation of the student center will meet the needs of doctoral students by providing new food prep stations, collaborative work areas as well as quiet spots for individual study.

The GPNA project has an overall budget of $2,002,795. Of this amount, $1,175,000 has been secured from the following sources: Hesta Stuart Christian Charitable Trust, Moody Foundation, Amon G. Carter Foundation, Dynamic Campus, Sid W. Richardson Foundation, and the DuBose Family Foundation. We've raised 98 percent of the $2M goal, this leaves $827,795 to be raised.

If you would like to learn more about the project or make a contribution, please contact Terri Kane at tdkane@txwes.edu.

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CL ASS NOTES

Tricia Howard ’14 was featured in Cisco Secure’s newest e-book, Adjusting to Extraordinary Times. Tricia is a marketing manager at HolistiCyber.

1970s Jon Romer ’73 was nominated for Texas Dentist of the Year by the Texas Academy of General Dentistry.

1990s Sylvia Blowe Ingram ’92 retired from Lockheed Martin in September 2020 after 42 years.

2000s Adam Plumbley JD ’06 was recognized as a Rising Star by the research team at Super Lawyers. He is employed by Jackson Walker LLP. Cheyenne Bostock ’08 is a successful life coach, speaker and author and has been featured in various publications and television programs.

2010s Adrienne Walker MBA ’11 and husband Adam welcomed a baby boy, Luke, in February 2020.

Jovan Rodriguez ’12 completed over 200 hours of training and is a certified yoga instructor at YO BK Academy in Brooklyn, New York.

Christian Garcia Wommack ’12 was named director of alumni relations at Texas Wesleyan in January 2021.

Spencer Baker ’14 and wife Allie welcomed a baby girl in October 2020.

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2020s Tristen Brown ’20 joined the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament team as a squire.

Zach Stephenson ’14 accepted a position as a teacher and JV girls soccer coach in Joshua ISD. Alexis Belton ’15 helped launch the first Trailblazers Virtual Golf & Lifestyle Classic – celebrating the most diverse, influential and powerful women in the game of golf. Belton played three seasons for the Lady Rams golf team.

Kaila Saffle Emery ’15 and husband Joshua started Steadfast Supply & Company, a business that supports nonprofit organizations serving the local community.

Jacob Rivera-Sanchez ’15 received the Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Service to Academic Programs at Texas Wesleyan. Jacob is the business manager for Theatre Wesleyan.

Amanda Bermejo Alvarez ’16 was married in the fall of 2020.

Page Pearce Wegener ’16 and her husband welcomed a baby boy to their family in the summer of 2020.

Candace Aguiar DNAP ’18 was named president of the South Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

Christina Carter ’18 served as the technical director for the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts streaming production of Welcome to the 60s in December 2020.

Alison Miller MSNA ’18 was featured on Good Morning America on Aug. 15, 2020.

Lisa Quach ’18 was married in the fall of 2020.

Crystal Salazar ’18 and Cameron Byerly ’16 got engaged on Christmas day 2020.

Kim Owen ’19 received a Teacher of the Six Weeks award from Marine Creek Middle School in Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD.

GOT NEWS? SHARE IT. VISIT TXWES.EDU/ALUMNI EMAIL ALUMNI@TXWES.EDU CALL 817-531-6548

ALUMNI REMEMBRANCES

Nicholas Martin HON ’03 1/1/2021 Fort Worth Nicholas Martin, loving and beloved family patriarch, business entrepreneur, philanthropist and kind friend died on Jan. 1, 2021, at the age of 96.

Mr. Martin, who was known as Nick to his friends and family, made indelible marks on the communities and people that he helped. He was a successful real estate businessman and philanthropist who always fought for the underdog.

He believed everyone should have a purpose and that having a relationship with family was the most worthwhile goal a person could have.

Nicholas Martin Jr. was born Feb. 23, 1924, and grew up in Birmingham, Michigan. He served in World War II and after he returned home, graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio. After graduating, he built a 20-year career in the lumber industry. Martin arrived in Fort Worth in 1967. In 1977, he married his wife, Louella Martin.

The two enjoyed 43 happy years together and have seven children, 19 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Through his years in Fort Worth, Nick’s involvement in the community continued to grow. He felt that he had been blessed with a fruitful life and that he had a responsibility to give back to the community that had afforded him so much. He formed the Nicholas and Louella Martin Foundation, which is associated with the North Texas Community Foundation.

Nick was actively involved in many philanthropic projects in the community. He helped build the Boys and Girls Club in east Fort Worth, and with the help of Texas Wesleyan

University, has offered numerous kids a safe place to go. He also helped build and refurbish various buildings at Texas Wesleyan University, which most recently includes the Nick & Lou Martin University Center.

James ‘Ray’ Jefferson ’54 12/18/2020 Fort Worth Ray was born to O.H. Jefferson and Minnie Adkins Jefferson on April 24, 1930 and died on Dec. 12, 2020. His public education was fulfilled in FWISD, and he graduated from Carter Riverside, where he lettered in baseball and basketball.

The day after graduation, Ray went to work for American Airlines at Meacham Field.

In 1950, Ray accepted an athletic scholarship to Texas Wesleyan. Then, in 1951, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. While at Texas Wesleyan, he played basketball, golf and tennis and captained the basketball and golf teams. Ray earned 10 varsity letters and became the only three-sport letterman in the school’s history. He was inducted into the Texas Wesleyan Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. After college graduation, Ray received a commission and served as a communications officer of a field artillery battery with the 12th Marine Regiment of the 3rd Marine Division in Japan and Okinawa. He was honorably discharged in 1956. Ray retired from a long career in the sporting goods industry.

He was a member and volunteer for his beloved Oakhurst neighborhood, where he was born and raised. Ray was laid to rest in a part of the cemetery that was just a thicket where he and his childhood buddies once played.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Trista Allen ’98 Immediate Past President Jay Beavers ’64 Don Boulware ’64 Patricia Castillo ’97 MBA ’08 Sergio De Leon ’98 Teri Flores ’97 Emily Fowler ’01 Julian Hobdy ’18 Margi Kluck ’79 Jason Jones ’01 Terri Kane ’98 ’15 René Lawson ’81 Veronica Martinez ’81 Secretary Julie McCurley ’06 Treasurer Eric Montoya ’07 M.Ed. ’15 Vice President Jennifer Sando ’02 Karen Surita ’01 Jen Swenson ’02 Jorge Vivar ’76 President Brandon Weaver ’00 MBA ’00 Dan Whitsell ’73 Penny Wilbanks ’05 Vernon Wright ’93

TO HONOR A RAM IN WESLEYAN MAGAZINE

please email alumni@txwes.edu.

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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Wade Goodbye

S

tudents are buzzing about a new on-campus student housing community, The Rosedale, which will stand on the site of the beloved Wade Hall, which was demolished in January 2021. It will feature one- and two-bedroom apartments with private, secured parking and plenty of amenities designed for the modern student.

Wade Hall was pretty modern in its day, too. It was constructed in 1920 as an apartment building – complete with elegant large and efficiency apartments. The building was purchased by the college in 1938 upon the recommendation of Dr. Law Sone, president of the college, and Dr. Theodore Moberg, endowment secretary. The first occupants of the building were Dr. Walter R. Glick, dean of the college, Paul Crouch, registrar, and Mr. H. Howard Hughes, instructor in English. Other prominent faculty members who called Wade Hall home at various times over the following years included Dr. Walter Lynn, professor of voice, 1942-1980, and Dr. Frank Norwood, professor of business administration and dean of the School of Business, to name a few.

In the fall of 1941, Wade Hall became the home of the business administration department. In addition, that same semester, the college’s evening school classes, which began circa 1934, had been newly expanded to include freshman and sophomore English classes and renamed the “National Emergency Program.”

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Academic uses appear to have been short-lived, as the college infirmary was moved into the ground floor of the building sometime in 1944 by Mrs. A. Stanfield, who served as school nurse, 1934-1947.

In the late 1970s or early 1980s, Wade Hall became a home for male students who had completed 60 or more credit hours and had a 3.0 GPA to relieve overcrowding in the dorms. In the years after that, the number of students living on campus dropped significantly and Wade Hall was closed circa 1985.

In March 1986, Dr. Jerry Bawcom, president of the college, announced plans to renovate Wade Hall. Those renovations were completed, and the apartments were made available to students once again by the summer of 1987. Wade Hall continued to be occupied by male students in the years that followed. By the mid-1990s, faculty and staff were again living in the building as well. By 2002, Texas Wesleyan began looking into building a new apartment-style dorm. This dorm, known as West Village, was completed in 2005.

What is your Wade Hall story? Share it with us at alumni@txwes.edu.

YOUR GIFT HELPS STUDENTS EVERY DAY “I am one of those students.”

When Jennifer Harrison ’20 lost her job in 2017, she enrolled at Texas Wesleyan – and you were with her every step of the way. Your gifts were the support she needed to thrive at Texas Wesleyan.

“It allowed me to just focus on being a student and not worry how I was going to pay for my rent and my groceries,” Harrison said.

Harrison graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology – magna cum laude – and gave back as Texas Wesleyan’s Food Pantry manager. Now she’s pursuing her graduate degree. “You have helped hundreds of other people by just helping one,” Harrison said.

GIVE TODAY AT TXWES.EDU/RAMSRELIEF

1201 Wesleyan Street Fort Worth, Texas 76105-1536

NEW DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Christian Garcia Wommack ’12 was named director of alumni relations in January 2021. “I look forward to continuing to serve my alma mater as alumni director. During their time at Texas Wesleyan, students lives will be enriched by the relationships and experiences created here through learning, community and leadership as they make the transition from students to alumni,” Garcia Wommack said.