Wheaton College's Outdoor Center for Leadership Development Welcomes First Vanguard Gap Year Students
HoneyRock, Wheaton College's Outdoor Center for Leadership Development in Three Lakes, Wis., welcomed the first class of 12 students to its new gap year program, Vanguard, Sept. 19.
"This first cohort of Vanguards is very special in that they are paving the way for future cohorts," says Charlie Goeke, Vanguard's program manager. "I can't wait to see how this unique group of 12 students will launch this new program."
Vanguard is designed to provide 18- to 20-year-old high school graduates with a formative educational experience prior to enrolling in college. Gap years have been found to be beneficial for many students, giving them real-world experience applicable to their futures.
Program coordinator Sarah Davis emphasizes the benefit of taking a year to prepare for the challenges of college and post-college years.
"The Vanguard experience removes students from the everyday that they're used to and opens up this whole other opportunity and experience for them to engage, for them to ask questions, for them to be known and loved for who God created them to be," says program coordinator Sarah Davis. "It's an intentional, authentic community experience."
The program is structured around the themes of body, mind and spirit. Students will engage their bodies through work and service, doing daily chores to strengthen community bonds, participating in outdoor activities such as skiing, horseback riding and rock climbing, and learning job skills in fields such as food service, vehicle and building maintenance and photography.
They will engage their minds through personal study and interdisciplinary seminars on core theological and philosophical questions taught by Wheaton College professors. They will engage their spirits through church activities and mentorships, with prayer and worship an integral part of the experience.
Learning beyond the Northwoods campus will take place through four cross-cultural immersion experiences. Students will earn four college credits that can be applied to study at Wheaton College.
Goeke has high expectations for what Vanguard will teach the students, and what the students will take away from the experience.
"From this experience, we hope that Vanguard students would gain clarity in their vocation, develop a deeper relationship with God and be prepared for the next stage of life," he says.
Students who successfully complete the Vanguard program with a positive recommendation from faculty will receive preference in the undergraduate admissions process for the upcoming fall semester at Wheaton College.
Applications are available online starting October 1. The deadline for Early Action applications is January 1, and regular action applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information, visit wheaton.edu/vanguard.