2024 Distinguished
Will Burdett ’14 went on the Winterim mission trip to Haiti in his senior year at WA, but he did not recognize God’s calling on his life until four years later. The trip was a perspective-shifter for Will. The Haitians’ joy, despite devastating natural disasters and dangerous political unrest, struck him.
After graduating from the Academy, Will attended Wheaton College. In the summer of 2016, he went on the “Wheaton in the Holy Lands” study abroad which took students to Israel and the West Bank, Greece, and Rome. The trip focused primarily on the historical and geographical settings of the Bible and traced the Apostle Paul’s journeys in these places. It was during this study abroad that Will met Elle Gunn, another Wheaton College student on the trip.
This trip was their first time experiencing a Middle Eastern country and immersing themselves fully in the culture, and it was transformative for both of them. For Will, his newfound understanding of the historical and geographical settings of the Bible led to a greater desire to pursue a relationship with God and a deeper passion for studying the Word. These experiences also planted a particular interest in the Middle East and its culture in both Will and Elle.
The following summer, Will interned for a for-profit firm that was focused on providing e-commerce solutions to small businesses selling their goods via Amazon and other online suppliers. He expected this internship to be primarily focused on the for-profit aspects of the business, and he was hoping that this would clarify what type of business he wanted to work for after graduating from Wheaton. However, he found out on the first day of his internship that the business had recently launched a non-profit wing that focused on providing opportunities for high school students to connect with local business leaders and provide scholarship opportunities for entrepreneurial students. Throughout the summer, his focus was primarily on launching this non-profit, and he loved it! This experience changed his perspective, and he started to feel more and more excited about non-profit work rather than for-profit work. This led Will to look into an internship with Samaritan’s Purse.
Will’s first internship with Samaritan’s Purse was in their international disaster relief following his graduation from Wheaton College. In his first few months he was based in Boone, North Carolina, where he served on their Grants Management Team. He primarily used his Business/Economics major in this role while gaining expertise in federal US Government- and United Nations-funded grant management. Following these first few months, he went to the Middle East where he interned at a community center working with internally displaced people. Here he primarily used his Christian Education & Ministry minor while also using some soft skills gained in his Business/Econ major.
In June 2019, Will married the girl he met halfway around the world. Since August 2020, Will and his wife, Elle, have continued their ministry work in the Middle East, focusing on supporting families who have lost homes, livelihoods, and educational opportunities. The Burdetts’ favorite part of their assignment is the people of the region, who are hospitable and wonderful. The couple has also had the opportunity to visit places mentioned in the Bible such as Nahum’s tomb and the plains of Nineveh. Will and Elle believe they have a long-term calling to work in the Middle East or with Middle Easterners.
The couple welcomed Charles Gunn “Gunnar” Burdett to their family in May 2023. He is named Charles after Will’s grandfather, Charles William “Bill” Pollard ’56 and called Gunnar after Elle’s dad.