Following the Lord’s Redirection: Gracie Chen ’26

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Gracie Chen ’26

Gracie Chen ’26 grew up as a child of missionaries and had been involved in ministry her entire life but did not want to pursue a career in ministry. “I think I came into college with such a hardened heart and saw this as my time to do my own thing,” Chen said.

Then she attended her first All School Communion, at which a senior shared how he felt the Lord calling him to go into ministry. “I think because of that All School, I prayed that the Lord would soften my heart during my time at Wheaton and equip me if he wanted me to do missions or go into some form of ministry in the future,” Chen recalled.

The Lord began to answer her prayer the next semester through her Cultural Anthropology class, which was taught by a visiting professor who was also a missionary. “He integrated the course content with missions in a beautiful way,” Chen said. “He laid out the tensions of anthropology and missions and addressed how to live like Christ well within different cultures.”

This class was just one facet of the Lord’s plan to grow Chen throughout her time at Wheaton.

Another part of the Lord’s plan came in the form of a fellow student—specifically, the Orientation Committee member who helped her move into her dorm freshman year. On the day she moved into Fischer Hall, she and her family initially communicated with the Orientation Committee member in English. After Chen retrieved her ID card, she returned to find her parents and the student speaking Chinese, instantly warming her heart. “I knew I wouldn’t see my parents for a whole year,” Chen said. “For both them and me, it was so comforting to know that I was going to a school where I was welcomed.”

Two months later, Chen saw the same student’s face on a poster encouraging students to join Orientation Committee. “I knew I wanted to embody hospitality for other students as he’d done for me,” she said.

Chen applied, which led to her serving on Orientation Committee for her freshman and sophomore years. “Being on that committee was the most impactful experience I’ve had at Wheaton so far,” said Chen. “I had the opportunity to invest in the campus community and give back in the ways I have also received.”

Her experience on the committee enabled her to step into leadership and develop a new perspective on serving others. “In life, many of us often think about what we can receive in situations,” she said. “But when we give, we also receive.”

This mindset has guided Chen in her role as a student chaplain during her senior year. When her time with Orientation Committee concluded, Chen shared her desire to apply to be a student chaplain with Steve Ivester, the Dean of Student Engagement who oversees the committee. He encouraged Chen, who traced her interest back to her first All School Communion, to apply. “Being a chaplain has been a really full circle moment for me as I recognize the Lord’s work in my life during my time here,” said Chen. “In this role, I can share what He’s done in me with the campus and also create more spaces that foster the kind of spiritual formation I have experienced."

After graduating, Chen plans to pursue a path that allows her to minister to a group of people she deeply relates to: missionary kids. “I would really love to do member care counseling with missionary kids, pastors’ kids, or even families in general,” she said.

This goal reflects Chen’s greatest takeaway from her time at Wheaton up until this point. “Wheaton has taught me to care deeply for everyone I meet wherever I go,” she said. “I’ve been cared for so well on campus through friends, faculty, staff, and the spiritual formation-focused environment. That has allowed—and will allow—me to bring that care into every other space I enter.”

Gracie is a student ambassador for the Wheaton Fund. To learn more about our student ambassadors, visit the Wheaton Fund webpage.