Giving Impact Stories

Your Faithful Giving Enables IWU Students to Make Kingdom-minded Impact

There are countless stories of IWU graduates stepping into the world and making their unique impact to the people they encounter.

And many of these graduates are only able to impact God's Kingdom thanks to the generosity of those who give to IWU, and enabling scholarships to thousands of students; enabling them to focus on developing their God-given skills.

Thank you for giving to IWU, and impacting the lives of people all across the world!

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A Few, of the Countless Ways Your Giving Impacts Students' Lives

NAIA Students at IWU
IWU Hosts 1,400+ Athletes for NAIA Track & Field Nationals

At the end of May, IWU hosted the NAIA Track & Field National Championship. As part of this event, roughly 1,900 athletes, coaches, and support staff moved into the residence halls for almost a week, as they competed in the championship. Because God had given IWU this wonderful opportunity, head Track & Field coach Caleb Snyder wanted to find ways for his teams to use this event to share the gospel. While talking with the student-athletes, one of them suggested creating hand-written prayer cards for every athlete at the event.

With over 1,400 athletes in attendance, this was no small task, but Snyder and his teams committed to the project anyway. Each hand-written card welcomed the athlete to campus, told them they were being prayed for, and included a QR code that directed them to a form where they could submit anonymous prayer requests. Once the cards were finished, they were left in the athletes’ rooms for them, so that they would find them as soon as they arrived on campus.

“The truth is, whether big or small, we will never fully understand the impact the prayer cards had,” Coach Snyder says. “The reality is that in hosting this week-long event, if even just one person is saved or one person is challenged to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, that is enough.”

Jacbo Quick
Alumnus Jacob Quick is Living His Dream in NTT INDYCAR

Jacob Quick grew up in a Christian home with parents who served in the local church and helped to cultivate his relationship with Christ from a young age. While at IWU, chapel services, devotions with the basketball program, and conversations in his residence hall helped Jacob to make his faith his own. Jacob also got involved with the men’s basketball team, becoming the Director of Basketball Operations for the 2014 season. That year, he learned to look at his life as one part of God’s greater story, helping him to have a proper perspective on himself and those around him.

After graduating, Jacob worked as a graduate assistant in the athletic department, covering the 2016 men’s basketball national championship win in this role. In 2022, Jacob used the skills and experience he got while at IWU to become the Digital Content Creator for Team Penske in 2022. Throughout his time with the team, he took part in victories at the Daytona 500, NASCAR Cup Series Championships, NTT INDYCAR Series, and Indianapolis 500.

As of this year, Jacob now works as a social media content specialist for NTT INDYCAR Series and as a freelance graphic designer, photographer, and videographer. Looking back on his time at IWU, Jacob is thankful for the ways IWU contributed to his spiritual and professional development, giving him strong foundations in both which have served him well since his departure. Without the financial help of scholarships and donor generosity, Jacob would not have been able to attend IWU or experience the joys of his post-graduation jobs.

Grant Wayner
IWU Alum Grant Wayner Is Making Waves for the Indianapolis Colts

Ever since childhood, Grant Wayner’s love of sports has stuck with him. When he was young Grant played every sport available to him, and in middle school he combined that love for sports with his newfound hobby of graphic design. Learning software and creating artwork of athletes became an obsession for him, and he spent much of high school engaging in this hobby.

Grant’s passion for sports followed him into college, during which he became part of IWU’s tennis team. From arriving to campus early in August and spending time with his teammates, to going on spring break trips, to winning conference on three occasions—taking part in the tennis team was always a highlight for him. Thanks to the financial help of donors, Grant was able to attend IWU for the entirety of his undergraduate career. During his time at IWU, Grant also continued to perfect his graphic design skills, turning them from a hobby into something he could use professionally. IWU’s strong Christian environment is another aspect of the school Grant looks back on fondly, appreciating the way he was prepared for life after graduation both academically and spiritually.

Grant now works for the Indianapolis Colts as a graphic designer, using the skills he honed during his college career professionally. When he started in January 2023, he was the youngest employee in the organization at the age of twenty-one. Having now worked there for a year-and-a-half, Grant finds the job is everything he hoped it would be. He feels proud of the work he’s produced and has found community within the organization. He feels truly blessed for work to be something he looks forward to every day and is thankful for all those who contributed to his education, because they made his current life possible.

Dr. Agyapong
Online IWU Education Enabling Dr. Agyapong to Make a Global Impact

Dr. Dominic Agyapong recently graduated from one of IWU’s online programs with his doctorate. Speaking about the completion of his program he stated, “I chose IWU because I have loved and appreciated Wesleyan values and convictions since my childhood. I am so glad to be part of the IWU family. My pursuit of this PhD credential… is to be a model to all those from less endowed families, especially kids in Ghana, that with perseverance, hard work, and discipline supported by sound faith we can achieve our goals, thereby transforming and improving our own lives and country.”

Dr. Agyapong first came to the United States in October 2015, as an expatriate priest in the Catholic diocese of Marquette, Michigan. By the following July, he was the pastor of three towns where he believes he was probably the first African in not just those churches but the towns as a whole. Deciding to get his PhD, Agyapong chose IWU and, after just his first semester, his leadership style had completely changed. “I was so relieved to have acquired skills that I have been able to share with my colleague expatriate priests from India and Africa,” Agyapong said, adding that he intends to return to Ghana to train them based on the education IWU has given him.

“I see IWU like traditional African mothers, particularly mothers from Ghana, who sacrifice and pray for nothing but the best for their children,” Agyapong added, reflecting on his experience. “IWU offers her students not only academic excellence but also ontological development with sound and tested faith, values, and tenacity to succeed and overcome the difficulties that the world of the 21st century has been plunged into.”