Does having a baptist pastor for a father and a practicing Catholic for a mother make for some fascinating dinner-table conversations growing up? If you ask Eliza Stiles, the answer is a resounding “yes.” For Eliza, those conversations have sparked a lifelong interest in theology, first as she pursued her undergraduate studies in Christian ministry at Gordon College and now as she earns her graduate degree in systematic theology at Wheaton.

Eliza was referred to Wheaton by her mentor, Wheaton alumna Amy Hughes M.A. ’08, Ph.D. ’13, a professor at Gordon College. “She really encouraged me that we need women’s voices in theology,” Eliza says. Her experience at Wheaton has been the fruit of that encouragement, as she has studied theology, applied what she’s learned as a youth minister at Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church, and helped coordinate Wheaton’s annual “Where are the Women?” conference.

What is Eliza looking forward to upon graduation? “I’m pulled in two different directions—academia and the church,” she says. One thing Eliza does know is that she wants to connect her theological education and her work in youth ministry by creating a Christian curriculum for young women that reframes how churches teach them about their bodies.