Building leaders

NextGen scholarships are allowing future teachers and pastors to prepare for their calling

Since their launch in the fall of 2022, NextGen Scholarships have provided $2 million in support of education and theology students at Walla Walla University. For many of these future leaders, God placed a call on their hearts to serve and yet the education they needed seemed unreachable. Deih Niang is just one example of a student whose response to their calling was made possible by a NextGen scholarship.

Long before thinking about her education or her calling, Niang escaped her home country of Myanmar with her family in 2010, becoming a refugee in Bangladesh and India before moving to the United States four years later. She described her childhood as something that most children would never be able to envision.

Arriving in the United States did not ensure a smooth road moving forward for Niang. Attending school in a foreign country with an unknown culture proved to have its own share of difficulties for Niang, and studying a new language and culture simultaneously forced Niang to develop a new understanding of resilience.

On starting high school, she applied these lessons in grit to the United States Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) with the plan to join the Marines and dedicate her life to the military. Niang excelled in her program and reached an officer status, usually reserved for seniors, during her freshman year. When she received a scholarship to attend a college in her home state of Kentucky, she believed her life’s course was charted out.

Despite her progress, Niang felt lost and unfulfilled. Her interest was aroused when her brother received the opportunity to attend a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school. When another student backed out, a spot became available for Niang to join her brother. A summer evangelistic program hosted by the school gave Niang the opportunity to canvas door to door and promote the Adventist health message. It was during this time that Niang recalls God turning her life around and begin to redirect her path.

Struggling with doubt and comparison, Niang began talking with mentors, reading the Bible, and asking God to reveal what he wanted for her. Becoming a resident assistant at her school allowed Niang to be a refuge for other girls that needed someone to talk to. “I realized that God had a purpose in putting me where I was,” Niang said. “I decided to do everything in my power to understand him and understand his plans for me.”

Niang’s personal and spiritual breakthrough came when she realized that the hardships she had endured put her in a unique position to help lift others out of similar situations and be a stronghold for them. “I learned that the hard times I’d been through had not been for nothing, and that was really impactful,” said Niang. It was this understanding that sowed the seeds in Niang’s heart to become a youth pastor.

Financial barriers made Niang’s pursuit of an Adventist higher education and a career in ministry challenging and even scary. After a great deal of prayer, she learned about an offer of free tuition for new theology students at WWU through a partnership with the North Pacific Union Conference. She met with Carl Cosaert, dean of the School of Theology, who encouraged her to attend WWU. Niang had less than a week to make a decision, which didn’t allow her to base her decision on whether she earned the scholarship or not. In an extraordinary act of faith and hope, Niang committed to WWU. The following Monday, she felt an incredible wave of relief when she was notified that she had earned the scholarship. “After a summer full of asking, a door was finally opened for me,” said Niang.

Niang feels a uniquely strong calling that not many students of her age experience. “God has given me so much more than I ever even asked for,” Niang said. She expressed her gratitude for all of the professors and friends she has met at WWU. Sharing her faith and talents as a member of praise teams has become one of her fondest parts of collegiate life.

When asked for her best advice for other students, Niang said simply, “Never give up on Jesus. Whatever you choose to do in your life, do it for the glory of God.” Niang has realized that the difficulties she went through and overcame have given her a passionate love of God and a unique commitment to serve his children.

An impactful investment

This investment in our future leaders has supported more than 60 education and theology students by combining with other sources to allow them to attend college tuition free.

The scholarship allows us to bring students to our campus who would not be able to join us otherwise. These students who often come from minority groups bring diversity and unique perspectives that enrich our campus community. Their presence in our classrooms means we benefit from a more inclusive and representative student body, which enhances the overall educational experience for everyone.

— Carl Cosaert, dean of the School of Theology

WWU is grateful to the North Pacific Union Conference for partnering with us to provide these funds.