Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE – Grace College welcomed a total of 1,975 traditional undergraduate students to its campus this year, a new all-time high for the institution.
Sixty-nine of those students are legacy students, meaning at least one of their parents has attended Grace. For freshmen roommates Simon Avey, Aiden Etner and Jack Nicodemus, all six of their parents were Grace Lancers, and collectively, they have more than 20 family members who attended Grace spanning five generations, according to a news release from Grace College.
"Coming back to Grace College to drop Simon off felt like a full-circle moment for our family,” said Dean Avey. “Walking the campus again reminded me of the impact this Christ-centered community has had on our lives, and I'm grateful Simon now gets to experience it for himself."
Simon Avey, son of Dean and Summer, never planned on following in his parents' footsteps.
“Even though I love Winona, I wanted to branch out a little bit,” said Simon. “But after I got to see the inward culture of Grace, it was a lot different than how I perceived it to be. Even though I've lived here my whole life, the Grace campus is really something completely new.”
As a senior in high school, Simon participated in the Grace College Business Plan Competition. He and his friends presented a business pitch for an apparel company they kick-started through the Kosciusko Student Venture Challenge (KSVC), a collaboration between HELP Kosciusko, local schools, KEDCO and Believe in a Dream.
“At the competition, I got to talk to Professor Glenn Grossman, and I got a sneak peek into all the really cool programs the School of Business has to offer. That just really excited me, and a lot of it fits what I'm looking for.”
Simon committed to Grace in the second semester of his senior year. He is a business administration major, but hopes to further specialize as he takes classes in finance, accounting and marketing to discover what interests him most.
Aiden, son of Drew and Catey, made his decision to attend Grace as a sophomore in high school. He is currently studying exercise science with a concentration in pre-physical therapy.
“As a little kid, I wanted to be the athletic trainer for the Boston Red Sox,” said Aiden. “But then, getting older and going into high school at Warsaw, the strength and conditioning program really interested me. I realized this could actually be a lot of fun to do in the future.”
With an abundance of college credits already, Aiden hopes to pursue an MBA and study abroad while at Grace, just as his mom did. He’s looking forward to forming a Christ-centered community in college.
“I'm really excited for dorm life and having a solid group of guys,” said Aiden. “It’s hard to find a big group of guys who love Jesus.”
For Jack of Columbus, Ohio, Grace was always his top option.
“Of course, it would have been a dream for Jack to go to Grace, but we never pushed him in that direction,” said his mom, Carly. “Knowing he wanted to go into ministry, we knew it was a safe place to receive solid Biblical teaching that we trusted. However, I wanted him to explore all options before making a decision. His mind, however, was set on Grace from an early age, and he never wavered from that.”
A fifth-generation Grace Lancer, Jack is studying youth ministry and working towards his M.Div. in pastoral studies through Grace Theological Seminary’s five-year accelerated program.
“Growing up, my dad's always been my youth pastor,” said Jack. “So I look up to him a lot, and over time, I realized, ‘I think I want to do this too.’”
To learn more about the Christ-centered community at Grace College, visit grace.edu.
