As we approach the end of the school year, it is worth celebrating the growth that the Class of 2019 experienced! The Class of 2019 is ready to change the world . . . and we are excited to cheer them on. We asked some seniors a few questions about their experience at Wheaton Academy, and this is what they had to say.
“An emphasis on college readiness here at Wheaton Academy enables students to self-advocate and enjoy freedoms that not all high schools can offer their students.”
Bible classes enabled me to not only defend my faith but to also share the Gospel. The combination of Living Curriculum Teachers, outside activities, and twice-a-week chapels set me on fire for the Lord!
I realized how important relationships are within the body of Christ. When life gets busy and hard, I want to have godly friends to lean on, and I want to be this godly support for others as well.
After being poured into by mentors and upperclassmen here, I now strive to give back to this school that provided me opportunities to grow spiritually and as a person. Wheaton Academy is all about students genuinely caring for other students and going the extra mile to make others feel welcome.
“Having a Christian education, and teachers that push me, impact me as I head into college.”
I’m so grateful to go to a high school that pushes me to find my joy in Christ and that reminds me that Jesus is all I need, in high school, and for the rest of my life.
I’m continually learning what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and how to go and make disciples. I now have a strong desire in me to learn better how to share my faith with others and spread the gospel.
Wheaton Academy does an amazing job at integrating faith with learning. Every teacher provides a biblical worldview to their lessons, no matter the subject. These teachers taught me Colossians 3:23, and this is what makes me what to pursue excellence in everything I do.
“I face challenges and hardships a lot but the one thing that keeps me is God’s perfect peace.”
The greatest lesson I learned here at Wheaton Academy was that no matter what your circumstance or situation is, you can make the most of it. Success is taking the hand you were dealt and playing it like it was the hand you wanted.
As a freshman I was unsure. Confused about who I wanted to be I wish I had the wisdom I had then now. I would have chose friends wiser and put myself in better positions. I am totally different. Then I knew God but didn’t want to make him apart of my every day. Now I know I cannot live without him. I am not perfect but I’m glad God hasn’t brought that revelation to me.
Stressed, overwhelmed, concerned, unsure . . . the one thing that keeps me is the joy I have inside me. I’m now in a position where I truly realize that Wheaton Academy has put people in my life who care about me and will be by my side through thick and thin. Having that revelation has kept me!
“I became a person who is more confident and courageous with my faith.”
Your actions matter: whether they are positive, negative or neutral, they still affect the people around you.
The constant support from teachers as well as their continual display of grace and belief in me. Seeing adults constantly through the day who genuinely and passionately believe in God is inspiring as well as the wisdom they share both in the hallways and in chapel.
The standard that Wheaton Academy sets for us is high but I love that they don’t put up the standard and expect you to reach it yourself. Teachers are gracious and are always willing to help, you can tell that each one of them has the heart of a pastor and actually wants to see you grow, which takes a lot of pressure off of yourself and allows you to believe in yourself so that you can reach excellence.
“I am more comfortable and confident in who I am as a person and as a Christian. I am more willing to step out of my comfort zone and try new things.”
The responsibility and freedom that is given to the students by the administration will help me with managing time and handling the different setting of a college campus.
My teachers—they always pushed me and encouraged me to see what I had in me that I did not originally see.
I understand that through adversity people grow, as long as I persevere through tough times I know things will get better. I do not fear challenges, I have learned to embrace them.
“Learning from overcoming hardships prepared me for the challenges to come.”
These four years molded me and shaped me into a person who understands the importance of individuality and respecting individuality. In addition to this, I learned how to be grateful for all that I have been blessed with.
There are two things that are vital to life after Wheaton Academy: your passion and your people. This school prepared me by helping me find what I love and what I want to pursue in college. Through a variety of classes, I have found that the sciences and mathematics are what I love. The most important thing I’ve learned is the importance of loving people.
Being at Wheaton Academy helped me spiritually in so many ways. It’s peculiar but I had to first learn that I am a broken soul. Wheaton Academy guided me in finding comfort in Jesus. I’m still growing, but this school jumpstarted my pursuit of Christ.
“I understand who I am more, and I can stand firm in that and what I believe in.”
Being an international student and being independent so early has prepared me for after Wheaton Academy and being able to stand on my own two feet. I am more confident in who I am in Christ, more independent and not as concerned about what other people think of me.
The greatest lesson I’ve learned at Wheaton Academy is perseverance and consistency. Perseverance through the bad and being consistent in being myself and not compromising who I am.
I am now able to defend my faith and I have also grown in understanding that I must stand in the gap for my own life and maintain a relationship with Christ.
“I have more confidence, and my anxiety has not been able to control me as often as it had when I was a freshman.”
I learned that confidence is slow to build when you have self-doubt but it can be built with the support of friends, family and teachers, as well as a knowledge of God’s love for you no matter what the outcome may be.
You have the capability to accomplish many things, be confident in who you are and trust that God has a plan for you.
I grew in my faith through the testimonies of friends, teachers, and chapel speakers. God allowed a verse or message to stand out and I learned more about Him and my identity in that way.
“As a senior now, I would say I have never been this strong in my faith!”
Service, relationships, and excellence are the greatest lessons I learned at Wheaton Academy. These are the things that Christ wants us to pursue: to serve others, build relationships, and push each other to pursue excellence. Wheaton Academy definitely pushed me to strive in these three words and now they are more than just words to me.
I have learned that I have to take risk and face challenges in my life to figure out who I really am. Wheaton Academy helped me to come out of my comfort zone and explore who I am while building relationships with others.
Wheaton Academy treats their students as adults which helped me prepare for my next steps after Wheaton Academy.
“Wheaton Academy pushes students to find answers to big questions about Christianity, the meaning of life, and how to interact with the world.”
I have learned how to model servant leadership at Wheaton Academy. Teachers have invested in me through Project LEAD, orchestra, cross country, musicals, and many more activities. I have had experience leading my peers, and I am ready to begin serving my new classmates in college.
I feel more confident to go into a new situation (college) and tackle whatever challenges come my way. I have learned how to deal with difficult classes, social situations, and adversities because of my time at Wheaton Academy.
My orchestra director, Mr. Willemssen, mentored me throughout high school and modeled for me how to be a Christian in the modern world. I have grown closer to Christ through this relationship, and similar relationships with many other Wheaton Academy faculty.
“The teachers changed everything for me and helped me become the man of God I have always been striving to be.”
I learned that I always need to push myself to do new things that may seem intimidating. You grow the most when you’re uncomfortable, and in order to be uncomfortable you must put yourself into new things that stretch you in different ways.
I think the way Wheaton Academy pushed me to get involved in many different activities is what prepared me most for the future. It helped me become friends with people I wouldn’t have been friends with, and I now understand people who I had always seen as “different” from me.
One of the main ways I am different today is in my confidence in myself, as well as my confidence in my relationship with the Lord!
“Wheaton Academy placed a healthy amount of pressure on me, and that motivated me to respond with excellence.”
The people that you choose to be with determine who you are. There are many things that lead to decisions that influence someone’s identity, but no factor is more important than peers when determining one’s character.
Socially I’d say I’ve come a long way; I think anyone would be able to tell that. However, that really doesn’t matter when compared to my spiritual growth over the last four years. I have consistently grown closer to Jesus, and that is the only change that I would ever ask for.
I am convinced that life is a natural cycle of failures and responses. Wheaton Academy has been a place that is safe to fail in. I have been challenged to the point of failure, but I have had opportunities to bounce back, to respond, and as a result I have learned how to react and I am unafraid to experience setbacks.
“I am now able to balance my academic life with my social life; more well-rounded, people say.”
Wheaton Academy has taught me that once I see and treat others as human beings, differences don’t become a barrier, but a glue to connect and build relationships with others.
The encouragements I received from my teachers and friends when I failed and the praises I received from them when I succeeded pushed me to pursue excellence.
Chapels convicted me to know more of Jesus and pursue a close relationship with Him. The Bible classes opened my mind to see my lack of knowledge in defending my own faith in the real world. That implanted a desire to define my beliefs, to know what I believe in and why I believe in it and what are the consequences of my beliefs.
“I am equipped to face the challenges of the real world while reflecting Christ and living out my faith.”
Failure is only a stepping stone toward success. I have learned the importance of learning from your past mistakes and not letting them define who you are but using them to surpass the standard you had set in the beginning.
Looking back at day one I see a scared, timid and shy boy who isolated himself from everything and everyone. Now I am more willing to step outside of my comfort zone, invest in the community, and develop meaningful relationships.
Going to a school where people are open and honest about their spiritual journey has had great impact on how I view mine and my willingness to share and relate with others. I have found that I am not alone and that there are people who are walking with me.
“I have learned that I am enough, no matter what anyone else says.”
I learned the importance of inclusion. Over the last four years at Wheaton Academy, I have really tried to branch out and talk to everyone and make sure everyone feels included and accepted.
I want to be a cardio-thoracic surgeon and establish my own health clinic in Africa. I have had this goal since the beginning of sophomore year. This has been my driving force and this goal that I have set for myself has pushed me to pursue excellence. I am going to do whatever I need to do to reach this goal and pursue my passion and purpose.
Throughout my life, I have had a lot of struggles and tragedies, but I am grateful that I have experienced those hardships because it has made me the person I am today and I am able to persevere and stand up for what I believe in because of the hardships I have endured.
“I was surrounded by great leadership from classmates and coaches that showed me how to be a competitor, teammate, and most importantly, a man of God.”
Learning to deal with freedom has prepared me for life. As a freshman I was treated like an adult, which was difficult to deal with at first. Communicating directly with my teachers helped me take full ownership of my grades and will be a valuable skill for college and beyond.
My most fulfilling achievements at Wheaton Academy came when I knew the work and preparation I had put in beforehand was done properly. The playing time or grades I received didn’t matter to me so long as I knew I had worked to the best of my ability.
The Bible classes and weekly chapels were key components to my spiritual journey but far more impactful were the relationships that I formed. I was able to be transparent about my faith with my friends and we would help each other be spiritually accountable.
“I am a crazy passionate follower of Christ who just wants to build His Kingdom . . .”
I have realized that my life has purpose: to live out my life building Christ’s Kingdom. I am more confident now because I feel comfortable in who I am, flaws, failures, and all.
I have grown spiritually as I have been able to see how God uses people my age. This has made me a crazy passionate follower of Christ who just wants to build His Kingdom and be a representation of His nature on Earth!
Classes, such as math and science, taught me perseverance under challenges and taught me critical thinking. Others, like my Bible classes, taught me to question my faith and truly make it my own so that I am prepared to defend it after Wheaton Academy.
“I am different today because I have so much more confidence in who I am as a follower of Christ.”
The greatest lesson I have learned at Wheaton Academy is that it is so important to treat others with love and respect, no matter what. Even when we disagree or have different opinions than others, we have to respect them and treat them with kindness.
I am more prepared to face challenges because I have learned that there is always going to be someone who is cheering for me. The faculty and staff at Wheaton Academy really want students to succeed, and I know that is something that will help me in the future.
I grew spiritually at Wheaton Academy by really making my faith my own. Throughout Bible classes, I was given the chance to really decide what I believe, and not just what my parents believe. I was also pushed to act on my faith through worship and service.
“The memories that I made at Wheaton Academy will stick with me for the rest of my life.”
Wheaton Academy gives you a lot of freedom which taught me how to manage my time and stay disciplined.
I can say that I am more confident, mature, and more of a leader. Wheaton Academy helped me find who I am as a person. The underclassmen look up to you in the hallways and on the field and it’s important that we seniors set the right example for them.
My spiritual growth at Wheaton Academy has been tremendous. I went from going through the motions to actually living out my faith and knowing what it means. Chapels helped me grow in my faith, and having the opportunity to sit down with teachers at lunch and have them invest in me helped me grow deeper in my relationship with God.
“I am four years older, wiser, and happier because of the exceptional experience I had at Wheaton Academy.”
After four years at Wheaton Academy, I am more grounded in the Word of God, which equips me to face challenges with wisdom, knowledge, moral excellence, patient endurance, and a greater love for those around me.
The greatest lesson I learned at Wheaton Academy is that it is a privilege to be a part of the body of Christ and learn within a community that is for Christ and His Kingdom. To take that for granted would be a sad oversight.
I grew spiritually at Wheaton Academy through the teachers’ investment inside and outside of the classroom. They truly care about each of us individually and point us to Christ. In addition, the chapels that WA offers are unique opportunities to gather together for worship.
“Wheaton Academy is the place that taught me about Christianity and how to be a Christian.”
Before I came to Wheaton Academy I had no idea what Christianity was. It is through my experience at Wheaton Academy, I became a believer. Now I can say that I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I have learned that no matter what challenges are in front of me, I can leave them up to God, and I can experience peace from Him.
My teachers, my host family and the academic environment at Wheaton Academy all had a huge impact on my academic life and pushed me to pursue excellence. I also discovered my potential through involvement in the community, interactions with teachers and friends, and learning through my daily studies.
