A Word with Alumni

CINDRA STACKHOUSE TAETZSCH ’82

photo by Mike Hudson ’89

I didn't have a clue.

Sure, I knew a few famous names like “Graham” and “Elliot,” but when I graduated from Wheaton, I didn’t have a clue that the Alumni Association was such a gift.

As a student, I heard alumni speak in chapel on occasion, but I don’t recall personally meeting any alumni, and I certainly didn’t have the opportunity for a one-on-one relationship with someone older and wiser than me.

My, how things have changed.

Today’s students have all kinds of opportunities to connect with alumni—both on campus and off. And while networking and career development are critical, many of these alumni connections are not only professional but also profoundly personal.

Our Student Alumni Board (SAB) offers popular events for students like “Surprised by Life,” a panel of alumni who share real, often painful, stories of life after Wheaton. These are stories that describe God’s faithfulness in the midst of pain and disappointment, and stories that make students laugh and occasionally wince. SAB has also started a mentoring program that offers students and alumni the opportunity to meet one-on-one for in-depth conversations and prayer.

These are stories that describe God’s faithfulness in the midst of pain and disappointment, and stories that make students laugh and occasionally wince.

In my role overseeing both the Alumni Association and the Center for Vocation and Career, I often have conversations with students about life after Wheaton. As a born “connector,” I enjoy helping students learn how to network with alumni. But the most interesting conversations are deeper and broader: how to discern God’s will, whether work/life balance is ever possible, overcoming barriers in leadership positions, and how to stay faithful in a world that doesn’t often encourage faithfulness.

Thanks to thousands of you who have made yourselves available, most current students know that the Wheaton alumni family, over 45,000 strong, is not a faceless, nameless entity.

Students understand that the Wheaton College Alumni Association is made up of real people who were once real students and who have had real struggles and successes in their lives. Thank you for your willingness to build the church and benefit society worldwide by encouraging our students and lending them a hand.