Essential
As she sat in her office having conversations with students about their well being and passions, Lindsey realized that her experience as a youth director prepared her for a career in academia at UNC Wilmington.
While teaching a required Wellness course, Lindsey felt disconnected when the curriculum asked students to explore spiritual wellness, all while knowing that there wasn’t a faith option for everyone. “Students were being lured to faith groups that claimed they were welcoming” Lindsey recounts, “and instead they were being condemned and shamed.”
When she heard that WingspanILM had support from the United Methodist Church, she couldn’t be happier. She soon found herself on Wingspan’s board and filling the role as faculty advisor. Coming from the School of Health and Human Sciences, she knows that emerging adulthood is a pivotal time in a college student’s psychological development, “I consider Wingspan to be essential to many of our students in their ability to be successful and thrive.”
When she first met Ashe, he attended her clogging class. What started as a simple interaction soon grew into a meaningful relationship. Lindsey quickly realized that Ashe, like so many college students, was searching for something deeper—a sense of community at UNCW. Ashe had always been a bit skeptical about church and organized religion, unsure if it could offer the acceptance and belonging he needed. But he trusted Lindsey.
That trust opened the door for Ashe to get involved in Wingspan, and over the past year, he’s become an active part of this welcoming, inclusive faith community. Wingspan gave Ashe the space to explore his faith on his own terms, ask difficult questions, and form genuine connections with others who, like him, were seeking a safe place to grow. His journey in Wingspan is a testament to the power of authentic relationships and the transformative impact of a community that embraces everyone, wherever they are on their faith journey.
“To see him go from someone who had no relationship with God, to now being in a leadership role in Wingspan is incredible” Lindsey says “It’s an important space for him to have, and he’s invested in the community.”
Lindsey has since become a member of our Flight Crew, a monthly donation program for Wingspan. Through our Flight Crew, we are able to provide faith opportunities for students like Ashe at UNC Wilmington.
