Friends of Wheaton have opted into being an ambassador and recruiter for Wheaton College. Thank you for believing that the Wheaton College educational experience has eternal impact in this world: for Christ and His Kingdom! This map illustrates the many places around the world where our influencers are located. We still need Friends …especially in Latin America! Join our Friends list!
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You don’t have to pack up and move to Wheaton, IL, to earn your graduate degree. With our flexible learning programs, you can earn a world-class education while remaining in your current job and location.
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It is our hope to be able to support you as you represent Christ and Wheaton College. Do you need images of the campus? Do you want to order some Wheaton College "merch" to help get the word out about this amazing place? Would you like a recruiter packet? Let us know how we can help you!
We’re deeply grateful for your continued partnership as a Friend of Wheaton. Help any students you may recommend get an early start on their admissions process by talking about Wheaton College even now.
Know a student who would thrive here?
We invite you to refer them today, your recommendation can help open the door to a journey of academic excellence, spiritual growth, and meaningful community.
As you do, we also encourage you to explore our new campus update, offering a glimpse into the inspiring work happening at Wheaton this summer. From student impact stories to graduate commencement, we’re excited to share how God is moving on our campus.
Please forward this message to any prospective student and share the inquiry form below to help them take their first step toward Wheaton.
Thank you for your prayers, referrals, and faithful encouragement. Your involvement is a vital part of our mission—and we are truly blessed by your support.
Blessings,
April McLaughlin, Coordinator, Billy Graham Scholarship Program
april.mclaughlin@wheaton.edu
Bryant Kong, Director of Global Engagement – Asia Pacific
bryant.kong@wheaton.edu
Jessica Joel, International Marketing Developer Assistant
jessica.joel.01@wheaton.edu
Wheaton College is set to install its first on-campus solar panels by fall 2025 as part of its Intelligent Solar Project, a major step in its sustainability initiative. The project includes photovoltaic (PV) panels and battery energy storage systems placed on buildings like the Chrouser Sports Complex and Armerding Center, as well as solar carports in the Billy Graham East parking lot. These installations aim to reduce the college’s carbon footprint and provide about 7% of its electricity needs.
The $10.3 million project is largely funded by state and federal incentives, covering nearly 70% of the cost. Remaining expenses will be offset within four years through operational savings. The initiative marks a shift made possible by declining solar technology costs and increased financial incentives for non-profits.
Faculty and students view the project as a learning opportunity. Professors plan to integrate the system into coursework and research, while students anticipate hands-on experiences. The Environmental Sustainability Committee supports the project as a key step in meeting the college’s long-term goals for creation care and environmental stewardship, sparking broader engagement across the campus community. More on the solar panels
Graduating Billy Graham Scholars with Billy Graham Scholarship Coordinator, April Mclaughlin
On the 10th of May, we had our Graduate School Commencement Ceremony. It was an uplifting sight of graduates marching forward into the poignant moment of academic triumph and a memorable transition into a new chapter of life. Families, friends, professors, and alumni gathered to honor the graduating students who had weathered challenges, sought truth, and grown deeply in their understanding of God’s calling. As the graduates proceeded into Edman Chapel, dressed in their robes and hoods, there was a proud and a humbling moment of seeing students crossing into something new as everyone sang ‘How Great art Thou’, remembering the faithful God who walked with them in their scholarly journey at Wheaton College. The students were sent off by a very powerful keynote address by Rev. Ricky Jenkins, who brought with him an infectious joy, a love for the gospel, and a passion for the students and their future. Rev. Jenkins redirected everyone to 2 Timothy 4:1-5, reminding the graduates that many start the ministry passionately, but only a few finish it. To fulfill, fully accomplish or finish the work God has set before them; as credibility, authenticity and legitimacy of a Christian scholar is not only in starting but finishing what God has called to do.
As the names of each graduate were read, there was a sacred rhythm to the applause. For every name spoken, a story of perseverance echoed. Some had studied in a second language. Many juggled families, jobs, and ministry responsibilities while pursuing academic excellence. Every step across the stage was a step of testimony.
The conferring of degrees was not merely ceremonial, it was a commissioning. Each graduate had been shaped not just by lectures and libraries, but by the presence of God in the community. Professors had poured themselves into students not only as scholars, but as mentors and spiritual companions. The classrooms had been a place of prayer, reflection, and holy wrestling.
One of the most memorable voices of the day was Graduate Student Ato Manful, who delivered the student address with humility, grace, and power. Ato reflected on the shared journey of his classmates, some of whom came from across the globe to be shaped at Wheaton. He spoke of the doubts and triumphs, the late nights and lingering prayers, the friendships formed in vulnerability, and the professors who guided not only minds, but souls. That the graduate students were surrounded with “a community that believes, an education that is steady, faculty who inspire, staff who uplift and friends who encourage.” Ato reminded his peers that while their degrees signified the end of a chapter, their calling was only beginning, “Wherever we go, we may align with the purposes of heaven and stand with King Jesus.”
As tassels turned and prayers were lifted, benediction was ministered, the atmosphere was filled with hope and holy purpose. These graduates now go forth as servant-leaders, equipped by Wheaton and empowered by the Spirit, ready to be salt and light wherever God leads them next.
Fifty years ago, a seed was planted one that would grow into a mighty testament to the power of the Gospel and the enduring influence of one man’s obedience to Christ. As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Billy Graham Scholarship at Wheaton College, we are not only marking time we are honoring a legacy of faith, global mission, and Christ-centered education that has shaped generations of Christian leaders.
Billy Graham, a 1943 graduate of Wheaton College, carried the message of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. From the largest stadiums to the smallest villages, from heads of state to the humble heart seeking hope, Dr. Graham preached one unchanging truth: salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. His ministry spanned nearly every continent and reached over 215 million people through crusades, radio, television, and print. But more than numbers, his impact was measured by the hearts surrendered to Christ and the lives transformed by the power of the Gospel.
The Billy Graham Scholarship was born from this very mission. Established to equip students from around the world especially those from under-resourced regions for Christ-centered leadership, this scholarship is a living continuation of Dr. Graham’s heart for global evangelism. It is a sacred bridge between Wheaton College’s academic excellence and the urgent, eternal call to proclaim Christ among the nations.
Each scholar who walks through Wheaton’s campus under this banner becomes part of a spiritual lineage disciples trained not merely in knowledge, but in the character and compassion of Christ. They return to their communities as pastors, teachers, missionaries, and agents of Kingdom transformation, echoing Billy Graham’s conviction that “the greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things... but rather a legacy of character and faith.”
As we reflect on five decades of the Billy Graham Scholarship, we are reminded that this is more than financial aid. It is a divine investment in people who will carry the light of Christ to places many of us may never go. It is a flame lit in Wheaton that now burns brightly in churches, seminaries, refugee camps, and mission fields across the world.
May this anniversary rekindle in us a holy urgency to pray, to give, and to raise up more laborers for the harvest. And may every future recipient of this scholarship walk boldly in the footsteps of Billy Graham, lifting high the Cross of Christ so that all may hear, all may know, and all may believe.
To God be the glory for 50 years of Kingdom impact and for the generations to come who will carry the Gospel forward through the vision that Billy Graham lived and the scholarship that bears his name.
Surviving the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda profoundly altered the course of Coco and Emmanuel’s lives. The devastation was immense, they had lost over 100 family members to brutal violence. Coco became an orphan who shouldered the responsibility of raising her two young sisters who survived. In the aftermath, they struggled deeply with reconciling their faith with the searing suffering, questioning how a predominantly Christian nation could experience such horror that claimed over a million lives. Yet through this darkness, God led them on a remarkable journey of healing and purpose. What began as a profound loss transformed into a divine calling, Coco and Emmanuel now serve as ambassadors of Hope, Healing, and Reconciliation throughout the world.
Already a renowned leader in Rwanda and across Africa, Emmanuel had served as the Country Director for IFES, shaping young leaders through campus ministry. His journey to Wheaton College, aided by a Billy Graham Scholarship, deepened his calling to global missions, enriching both his ministry and Wheaton's diverse community. Their path from Africa to Wheaton College became instrumental in shaping their mission to bring the gospel to unreached communities. Sensing a calling to cross-cultural evangelism, he sought academic training in evangelism and missions. They were welcomed and embraced by Wheaton's community, allowing them to use their gift of hospitality by welcoming people from various ethnicities and cultures in their home for fellowship, with a special focus on International Students. Wheaton College’s rich legacy of global missions inspired their participation in God's redemptive work, while its academic rigor sharpened their critical thinking and expanded their understanding of global ministry.
Emmanuel and Coco’s core passion remains knowing Christ and making Him known, especially among those who have never heard the gospel. They long to see African churches proclaim the complete gospel while developing disciples who multiply. Their Wheaton experience has opened new doors for ministry growth. In 2024, Coco began pursuing a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy, reflecting their belief that healthy families form the foundation of healthy churches engaged in global mission. With so many Rwandan families left broken by the genocide against the Tutsi, their combined focus on evangelism and family restoration aims to contribute to holistic transformation in Rwanda, across Africa, and beyond.
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