... “I’m a lot more confident now.”

TomBlake’13

Even before he started his senior year at Manchester, Tom Blake ’13 had a job waiting for him after graduation.

“I’ve known I wanted to be an accountant for a long time,” says the accounting and economics major from Plymouth, Ind., whose three summer internships at Umbaugh and Associates landed him the job offer.

Tom didn’t look around for a college. Manchester, he says, is as good as it gets for an aspiring accountant. “I really like the small campus, too,” and the professors are approachable and interested in his well-being. “I’ve just been given so many opportunities to grow professionally.”

He made the most of them. Tom won the Jo Young Switzer Award for “Best Quantitative Research Paper” at Manchester’s University Student Research Symposium in 2012. He helped launch the Department of Economics’ grant-funded Wabash County Economic Report. And last fall, Tom was one of four senior accounting majors from Manchester who won first place in the Indiana CPA Society Case Study Competition. Collegiate teams in the grueling contest had 10 days to research a hypothetical business problem and write a 50-page recommendation to solve it.

Tom and his twin sister, Sarah, who is studying to be a teacher, will graduate together in May. He’ll take his CPA exam and start his full-time career. By his own admission, he’s happier crunching numbers than he is talking. But one thing is easy to say: Thanks to Manchester, “I’m a lot more confident now.”

... a life-changing experience taught me
gratitude.

AlecWomboldt’12

Alec Womboldt ’12 knew when he came to Manchester he would find strong science academics, scholarships, a spectacular Science Center, and a top-flight cross country program. He found so much more.

“Manchester has challenged me to become the person I want to be,” says the biology-chemistry major from DeWitt, Mich. Professors mentor and motivate him. His peers influence him to do his best, too. Research opportunities provide invaluable experience. It’s all leading him to one day become a family physician or pediatrician.

And even if medicine puts Alec in the vortex of a contentious health care debate in the United States, he welcomes the chance to help forge a solution. “I want to provide the best health care I can to everyone who needs it,” he says. “I want to help people become healthier and more health-conscious.”

Alec joined five physicians, two dentists, a pharmacist, a faculty member, several alumni and 13 fellow students on a recent Medical Practicum to Nicaragua, the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. They worked side by side in several small villages along the Rio Coco, delivering health care, medicine and supplies to as many people as they could.

Nicaragua is a beautiful country called the “land of lakes and volcanoes,” says Alec. But it’s also a country of grinding poverty. The Manchester group slept in hammocks, ate food prepared by villagers, and functioned mostly without electricity or electronic communication. “It taught me to be grateful for the life we live in the United States” and to remember that there are many people “in need of health care, shelter, food and even clean water,” he says. “It was a life-changing experience that I will never forget.”

... I am learning to speak for those who
can’t.

AliaWoods’14

Alia Woods ’14 loves college, but doesn’t spend many weekends on campus. She goes home to help her family.

Fort Wayne is where cerebral palsy confines her brother, Anwar, to a wheelchair and where Alia pitches in with household chores such as laundry. “I go home to give my mom a little break,” says Alia.

The Manchester University political science major is close to her brother — and loyal. When they were younger, Alia transferred to Anwar’s school so that she could be near him and help with his special needs class whenever possible. The experience taught her deep empathy for people with disabilities. At Manchester, she is preparing for a career in law so that one day she can be an advocate for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

“Manchester is helping me realize that I have the ability to learn things I never dreamed would be possible,” says Alia. She loves the small class sizes and personal attention from professors. Financial aid is critical. When Alia’s father changed to an earlier work shift, her mother had to quit her job so that someone would be home to get Anwar clothed, fed and ready for school. “Thanks to scholarships,” Alia says, “I am able to go to a college that I want to go to.”

Despite strong ties to home and family, Alia longs to see the world. She hopes to see France and study a semester in Sapporo, Japan, through BCA Study Abroad. And law school is definitely on Alia’s itinerary. “I hope to become a great lawyer,” she says, “so that I can help disabled people like my brother.”

... I will help children find homes and
families.

AnnaGraham’12

It may sound like a contradiction, but Anna Graham ’12 wants the college that felt most like home to take her far away.

“I chose Manchester because of the study abroad program,” says the Spanish and social work major from Fort Wayne. “But once I came to visit I fell in love with the campus, the teachers, class sizes and the students. Everyone was so friendly and it just felt like home.”

Anna’s overarching life goal is to help children “grow up to be well-rounded, fully functioning adults.” But she hopes to get her passport stamped a few times first. She studied in Mexico for a semester and taught English there. “Living in Mexico has changed how I view myself as a person from the United States,” says Anna. “And it made me appreciate what I have and who I am.”

She also plans to apply for a Fulbright grant to teach English in another country. Anna says it’s about more than giving students in her host country an educational advantage. “I hope to help bridge the gap between the differences in this world that can’t be explained because of a language barrier.”

Eventually, Anna will focus her social work career on young people. “I want to give a life back to children and teenagers who are troubled or without homes and families,” says Anna. “Working in an adoption agency would be a dream come true. I could help children find a home and a family.”

Wherever life leads, she says Manchester has prepared her in many ways. Home or abroad, Anna Graham is using her education to go places.

... no dream is too big for doing God’s
work.

BenTapper’12

You might say the ultimate recruiter led Ben Tapper ’12 to Manchester University. “After much prayer about my college choice,” says Ben, “Manchester is the place I felt God wanted me to be.”

The political science major and Spanish minor from Merrillville, Ind., says Manchester is helping him prepare for work in the mission field. Though he’s open to going anywhere, Ben says he “would love the opportunity” to begin at the Kibera Slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. One million people live in Kibera’s 1.5 square miles, a population density 30 times that of New York City. There is little or no access to water or sanitation there, and malaria, cholera and typhoid are rampant.

Ben credits his mentors at Manchester for recognizing his potential. In particular, Dr. Benson Onyeji, associate professor of political science, “has helped me shape my vision of the world and my dreams for how I can change what I see,” says Ben. “I thank God for such people in my life.” Dr. Onyeji is encouraging Ben to pursue work through the United Nations and to “dream big.”

Big dreams seem a good fit for Ben. He would like to one day become the United States ambassador to the United Nations, advocating for U.S. interests, orchestrating disaster relief operations, and improving the living conditions of people in underdeveloped nations. He can do God’s work, he says, by helping shape policies on the international stage and “bringing the love of God into the political arena.”

For Ben, his life’s work will be about setting people free from the trap of poverty, “not just monetary poverty,” he explains, “but poverty of mind, soul and spirit.”

... I found my calling in activism and
youth ministry.

BethanyClark’11

Bethany Clark ’11 may have started her youth ministry before she knew it. The Greenville, Ohio, native and several friends wanted to provide a venue for University students not comfortable with traditional services. “Being able to worship through music, I think, was more attractive to a lot of University students,” says Bethany. So they planned the services, made fliers and spread the word around campus. The result was the energetic Praise Jam, which features contemporary Christian music, prayer and a time of sharing that draws about 40 students each Wednesday night.

Bethany and several friends also organized Manchester’s “One Day Without Shoes,” an event inspired by TOMS Shoes that gives one pair of shoes to a child in a Third World country for every pair it sells. Bethany says at least 90 Manchester students went without shoes on campus that day, except in the dining hall and a few laboratories where footwear is mandatory. The effort raised awareness among the entire campus community of the plight of children worldwide who have no shoes.

Bethany’s activism stems from the faith cultivated in her Church of the Brethren upbringing, but she readily admits “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do when I came here.” Everything clicked, she says, when she took the course The Christian Faith and decided religion was her calling. At the invitation of the Church of the Brethren’s Ministry Summer Service, Bethany spent two summers as an intern youth pastor at a Pennsylvania church. She loved planning and organizing events for young people and building relationships with them.

“Kids need someone to look up to, talk to and confide in,” says Bethany. Through her youth ministry, she plans to be that someone.

... accounting can empower me to lift up
others.

CassandraFranks’10

Cassandra “Cassie” Franks ’10 didn’t want to be just any accountant. She wanted to be a Manchester accountant. “I have already seen firsthand what it means to be a Manchester-educated accountant,” she says of her job at Greenwalt CPAs in Indianapolis where there are a number of Manchester graduates, including a few partners. “They have created a successful firm and strive to conduct themselves in ways that would make MU proud,” says Cassie. That means, she explains, that Manchester accountants don’t just have technical skills, but ethical and social skills, too.

When the Warsaw native was choosing a college, Manchester represented a triple crown for Cassie: It had a great accounting program, it was close to her family, and it offered many travel opportunities.

After a summer working at a homeless shelter in California, Cassie completed her French minor with a semester in France. There, she connected with MU alumna Beverly Ott ’80, who helped found ECHOPPE, an organization in Togo that provides microloans to women who start their own businesses and gain financial independence. “Once I met with Bev,” says Cassie, “I was able to see how I could use my knowledge of finance as well as my French to have a new experience helping people.” Cassie spent five months in Togo, an impoverished French-speaking nation in West Africa, where she interviewed women and wrote about them for newsletters that helped raise money for ECHOPPE.

At Greenwalt CPAs, Cassie is honing her skills in public accounting. However, she hopes one day to work for a nonprofit that she is passionate about. “To be able to do my job and help those around me,” says Cassie, “brings the most fulfillment to me as a person and an accountant.”

... my medical practice will serve the
underserved.

ErinCole’11

From the time she was a young child, Erin Cole ’11 knew she wanted to be a doctor. Manchester helped prepare her mind — and her heart — for the type of doctor she wants to be.

The biology-chemistry major from Mooresville, Ind., excelled in the science classes that readied her for medical school. But her out-of -classroom experiences had a profound effect, too. On a January Medical Practicum trip to Nicaragua, Erin says she admired the versatility of the physicians in her group as they improvised with limited resources. They demonstrated, she says, “that often the best skill is not always knowing what medicine to give, but rather listening to the patients and teaching them to help themselves.”

Erin returned from Central America with a renewed commitment to improve her communication skills. A Spanish minor, she volunteered to help teach English to area Hispanic immigrants. She applied that experience the following January when she volunteered at a homeless shelter and clinic for immigrants in Houston, Texas. Erin saw cases of cardiovascular problems, gastrointestinal disease and diabetes there and realized the need for educating people about the importance of healthy diets and lifestyles.

Later that year, through a summer internship at Indiana University School of Medicine, Erin worked alongside experienced cancer researchers. It strengthened her understanding of clinical research and problem-solving techniques and, she says, built a strong foundation for her medical school studies.

That’s where Erin is now, and she says Manchester prepared her well. Thanks to some undergraduate opportunities, she is determined to help medically underserved people. “I don’t want to be another specialized doctor,” says Erin, but rather “a primary care physician in communities that need basic medical care the most.”

... other young people won’t be limited
by their circumstances.

JoiHarmon’12

The door to a new world opened for Joi Harmon ’12 when she came to Manchester University. Now she wants to lead others through that door.

The first-generation college student from Indianapolis thought she would attend a large public university, until she visited Manchester. “I really liked the warm environment that the students, professors and people from the community provided,” says Joi. “Everyone seemed so caring and interested in my well-being and interests.”

Joi always worked for what she had — at a fast-food restaurant, a shoe store, a grocery store, the public library, and an internship at United Water in Indianapolis. Sales or community relations in the corporate world seemed a good fit for the double major in management and marketing. But at Manchester, Joi developed an interest in working directly with her community. “My ultimate goal is to start a youth program in the city of Indianapolis,” she says. Joi wants to give underprivileged youths the same opportunities she has been given and show them that they are not limited by their circumstances.

Manchester has taught Joi there are no limits to her potential. She’s made the Dean’s List and is a leader in numerous campus organizations. A federal grant enabled her to spend a semester in Quito, Ecuador. “I never imagined that I would be an international student, studying and living in a Spanish-speaking country,” she says, “or that faculty members would do everything in their power to ensure I had the opportunity.”

Scholarships have enabled Joi to experience things that no one in her family ever has, and she is grateful. “We do not have to limit ourselves to the actions and boundaries of those around us,” says Joi. “Being a success story is an uplifting and empowering feeling.”

... I can be a positive role model and
shape young minds.

JoshBenefiel’14

Even before he graduated high school, Josh Benefiel ’14 went back to elementary. And it’s a good thing, too. The place where Josh came from helped him realize where he wanted to go.

As a Shelbyville High School senior, Josh spent part of his day at his old elementary school working with children. “I was so connected. I loved every minute of it,” says Josh. The experience crystallized his goal to become an elementary teacher. And that decision led him to Manchester, one of Indiana’s most respected institutions for teacher training.

“A child’s mind is a sponge, so impressionable and open to learning,” says Josh. The field experiences have helped Josh realize how important he can be in shaping young minds, not only as a teacher but as a role model. One young boy’s face “just lit up” when Josh arrived each day to give him individual attention. Another gave him hugs from the very first day, says Josh, who later learned that the boy had never met his father.

Josh knows the budget pressures and political crosswinds affecting public education these days aren’t making it the most appealing time to become a teacher. But his passion for education runs deep and gives him the fortitude to follow his dream.

“I love working with kids,” says the future teacher. “There’s something inside of me that says this is who I am.”

... science and respect for animals go
hand in hand.

KaylaWerbianskyj’12

Kayla Werbianskyj ’12 loves animals and wants them treated with respect. At Manchester, she’s learning how to protect them, and educate people about the ethical choices we make that affect wildlife and the environment.

The biology and environmental studies major from Elkhart, Ind., was recruited to play soccer. “I had no idea what I wanted to study when I first came to college,” says Kayla. Like many college students, she dabbled in a couple of academic majors before finding that her real passion is science. “My advisor, Jerry Sweeten, has had a major impact on my academics and research experience,” says Kayla, who spent two summer internships working alongside the 2009 Indiana Professor of the Year. "

The research experience may help Kayla land a graduate research or teaching assistantship that will help refine her career direction. But after earning a master’s degree and possibly a Ph.D, Kayla’s ultimate dream is to have her own wildlife rehabilitation center where she can help sick and injured animals and return them to their natural habitat

Kayla is a first-generation college student whose parents encouraged her “because they wanted me to have a better life than they did.” Manchester’s track record of helping graduates find jobs attracted her, as did the generous scholarships that, for Kayla, make a college education possible.

Kayla plans to use that education for good. Her scientific knowledge will enable her to help others make better moral and ethical decisions about their relationship with the planet. When we destroy wildlife habitats or pollute, she says, it doesn’t just speak to how we treat the environment. Ultimately, adds Kayla, “it’s about how we treat each other.”

... protecting natural resources is a labor
of love.

MatthewLinn’12

Not everyone gets to make a living doing what they love to do. Manchester University is helping Matthew Linn ’12 do just that, and he knows he’s lucky.

The environmental studies major from Columbia City, Ind., grew up fishing and enjoying the abundant lakes and streams near his northern Indiana home. He’s learning about those resources at Manchester, and hopes eventually to reel in a Ph.D. in freshwater ecology. A graduate degree, Matthew says, will enable him to turn a passion into a livelihood, and qualify him for the highly competitive job market he’ll enter.

At Manchester, Matthew says “professors have encouraged me to conduct my own research and become active in the scientific community.” That encouragement landed Matthew at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern lower Michigan in the summer of 2011. There, Matthew and other undergraduate science students conducted climate change research through a program funded by the National Science Foundation.

The paid summer internship put Matthew near the water he loves. It also helps the station advance its core mission of engaging students in scientific discovery using ecosystems, and in promoting a better understanding of those systems.

Matthew would like to start his career with field experience and maybe one day move into education. Teaching the next generation is critical as more people live in urban areas and spend much of their time in front of a computer or television. “We’ve created an environment where we’ve become detached from our natural resources,” says Matthew.

But you don’t have to convince Matthew that being outside and enjoying the water is a good thing. “I never realized I could make a career out of it.”

... my perspectives on the world are so
much broader.

NicholasKenny’11

When Nicholas Kenny ’11 decided to switch his major from biology-chemistry to trumpet performance, it was music to the ears of Manchester University music faculty who had long recognized his exceptional potential.

“I don’t think I’d be where I am today” without the personal attention and encouragement of Manchester faculty, says Nicholas. The Fort Wayne native played in the Manchester University Symphonic Band, MU Jazz Ensemble, Manchester Symphony Orchestra, and trumpet studio of adjunct faculty member Tim Zimmerman. The high note of his Manchester music career came in spring 2011 when he traveled to Seattle to play in the prestigious Small College Intercollegiate Band with some of the finest undergraduate musicians in the nation.

While he was at Manchester, Nicholas appeared in several theater productions and performed with the A Capella Choir and Chamber Singers at New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Esterhazy Palace in Austria. In fact, he says his study abroad opportunities greatly enriched his education. “I have such a wide perspective of things now,” says Nicholas, who also journeyed to England, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Italy and Greece while at Manchester.

Nicholas is now at the University of Northern Colorado studying with Dr. John Adler and working toward a master’s degree in trumpet performance. Eventually, he hopes to teach trumpet at the collegiate level and have his own trumpet studio where he can teach others.

He cherishes the people he met at Manchester, including the townspeople he got to know when he played trumpet at local churches. They’ve all been instrumental to his growth as a person, he says. “I really learned a lot about myself.”

... life can be my witness and an
everyday activism.

SamOtt’13

Like a lot of college students, Sam Ott ’13 is still sorting out what kind of career he wants. The religion major from Churubusco says he will likely go to graduate school after Manchester, perhaps to become a research librarian specializing in religion or history, or to be a college professor of religion.

But while Sam weighs what he wants to do with life, he already knows how he wants to live it. He wants to be an example. “I hope to live in such a way that my life is my witness, an everyday activism,” explains Sam. “I want to show people that living simply and doing small acts of love and change can have a great effect.” If people make changes in their behavior in small ways — treating people better or being good stewards of the environment — Sam believes that even small changes can make a huge impact on the world.

Clearly, Manchester has Sam thinking. In fact, Sam says college is giving him the ability to look at problems from many angles and with a broader reservoir of knowledge than he had before. And he credits his professors for helping him. “They know me by name and will ask me how I am and sit and talk with me,” says Sam. “They push me to be the best student and person that I can be.”

That is, perhaps, the essence of a liberal arts education. And Sam Ott is making the most of it. “I have a greater sense of self-confidence” since coming to Manchester, reflects Sam. “I have learned to express my ideas more eloquently, and say what I believe and think with confidence.”

... I have fallen in love with
Economics.

KarlaConrad’11

Karla Conrad ’11 “wanted to be a teacher forever,” but she found a new passion at Manchester that tripped up her plans. “I have fallen in love,” confesses Karla, “with … economics.”

When Karla discovered economics as a junior, faculty and staff at Manchester helped her shift academic gears and throttle forward. The secondary education mathematics major and economics minor from Angola, Ind., can still teach middle school or high school mathematics someday. But for now she is a graduate student at California’s Chapman University studying economic system design.

“I love teaching and I love the kids,” says Karla, who student taught in the Warsaw Community Schools. “But economics is applicable to all of my interests.” And her mathematical prowess will serve her well in economic modeling, statistics and many aspects of research.

Karla has even identified an area of interest where her teaching experience and economics studies can converge — education reform. “I want to study education policies and public education classroom structures to see what the states should do to fix public education,” says Karla. “I am driven to help find solutions.”

Graduate studies are opening up a whole new world for Karla as she explores various career and research opportunities that her degree at Chapman will make possible. And she’s stretching in other ways, too. “I am glad I tried something new and broadened my horizons by moving to California,” said Karla. “It’s a great opportunity for me.”

... I won't give up on others.

TeirenneyFincher’13

Teirenney Fincher ’13 almost gave up. Maybe that’s why she won’t give up on others.

Teirenney will graduate in May with a degree in social work and a minor in criminal justice. She plans to work with delinquent children and give them and their parents the guidance they need to turn around their lives. “Kids are our future,” says Teirenney, who last spring made the Dean’s List and managed her own caseload at the Allen County Juvenile Center during a field placement through Manchester. “Children are always too young to give up on.”

At Manchester, the Fort Wayne native has focused on academics and supporting herself financially “because I didn’t want to be a burden on my mom.” She supplemented scholarships by working 20 to 25 hours a week at the Warsaw Lowe’s store.

“There were times when I was ready to give up,” says Teirenney of all the demands. “I kept praying and kept praying.” She also turned to mentor Barb Burdge, associate professor and director of the Social Work Program. Burdge “was doing anything and everything she could to keep me (in school),” says Teirenney. On the toughest days, Teirenney knew where to find encouragement. “I would talk to Barb and she would just lift me up.”

Now Teirenney wants to lift up others. She plans to be a probation officer, perhaps in a residential facility where she can be a positive force in the lives of children every day. Eventually, she hopes to get her master’s degree and, maybe one day, be the administrator of a facility for troubled children. “There are a lot of things you can do with a social work degree. I just trust that God will guide me in the right direction.”

... I can make life better for others.

ZabrianMills’14

Zabrian Mills ’14 has a passion for helping people. From his campus responsibilities to his summer job to his future career, he enjoys making life better for others.

So it’s not surprising that Zabrian spent last summer working at the Wisconsin Lions Camp, which provides a camping experience for children with a variety of issues, including vision and hearing impairments, Down syndrome, autism, Asperger syndrome, epilepsy and diabetes.

“It’s the hardest job I’ve ever done,” reflected the Alexandria, Ind., native. He took care of five to eight special-needs children in his cabin at a given time. In exchange, he learned sign language, patience and a deeper appreciation for his own life.

For now, that life is centered at Manchester. Zabrian chose it over other schools because he liked the professors and the sense of community he found here. The generous financial aid was crucial. “Without scholarships, I wouldn’t be at Manchester,” adds Zabrian, who is the first person in his family to attend college.

A psychology major with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience, Zabrian is considering a career as a neurosurgeon or, perhaps, as the administrator of a treatment facility. The brain fascinates him. He’s hoping that this summer he can land aninternship that allows him to work with people suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

In the meantime, his Manchester plate is full. He’s a resident assistant for first-year students in Garver Hall where, he says, he can help younger students navigate college life and make good choices. He’s also a co-facilitator for the campus organization United Sexualities and he serves on the Student Alumni Council. And when neurosurgery might be in your future, there’s a whole lot of studying.

Manchester has become Zabrian’s second home. He’s grateful for the support he found here – for people who believe he can be a neurosurgeon or anything else he chooses to be. “One of the kindest things you can do for someone,” he says, “is to help give them an education.”

... I knew Manchester was the right choice as soon as I made it.

ReneeNeher’16

Renee Neher ’16 was looking for a top-flight accounting program and financial aid that would help her minimize debt. The numbers added up for Manchester.

Of course, the balance sheet included Renee’s deep family roots in Manchester and the Church of the Brethren, too. “There was already a community here that I knew” that includes family and family friends, said the Lombard, Ill., native.

Though Renee’s parents met at McPherson College, many of her aunts and uncles are Manchester alums. Grandfather Leon Neher taught sociology here in the 1960s and, as a result, Renee’s dad spent much of his childhood in North Manchester. Both sides of Renee’s family are Church of the Brethren.

Renee looked at several schools that were strong in accounting. In the end, Manchester’s strong financial aid package tipped the scale because “I could not walk out of college with that much debt and be OK with myself,” explains Renee. Manchester, she says, is “where I was supposed to be. I knew it was the right choice as soon as I made it.”

The aspiring accountant works out regularly at the Brown Fitness Center, enjoys yoga to relieve stress, and plays viola in the Manchester Symphony Orchestra. This fall, she’ll study in Cheltenham, England, through BCA Study Abroad.

Renee’s also found a passion for short mission trips – often called work camps – that have led her to help the less fortunate in the Dominican Republic, Appalachia and on skid row in Los Angeles.

“I’m very privileged to have what I have,” says Renee, whose family attends York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard. Her parents taught her to be grateful. “There are people out there who don’t have anything,” says Renee. “I realize that I’m very lucky.”