Alumni Spotlights

As an undergraduate, I studied political science at the University of Northern Iowa and worshipped at the First United Methodist Church of Cedar Falls. My time there nurtured in me a love for community service and making a difference for the good in the lives of our neighbors.

When I completed my undergraduate studies, I moved to Washington, DC, and worked for the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. I served Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming as one of his higher education policy advisors. I married Raymie, who was (and still is) working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When I experienced a “Holy Nudging” to be more involved in the life of my community, Wesley Seminary was there to come alongside our family on that journey. I am now an elder in the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

These past few months, it has been heartbreaking to see the good work of so many faithful civil servants be demolished so recklessly. My wife’s vocation is among thousands of others now in jeopardy. I believe that all Christians are called to study and practice the way of Jesus. There is
no evidence of Christian faith being demonstrated in the behavior of our president and his advisors.

But our family’s faith has been a sustaining force through this season of uncertainty.

I experienced Wesley Seminary as a place of formation, preparing leaders to serve in churches where people are NOT asked to “check their brains at the entrance to the sanctuary.” Wesley’s faculty consistently challenged us to be mindful of the church’s responsibility to care for the poor, look after people on the margins, and be faithful to a God who expects us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Perhaps Wesley has been preparing faithful leaders for a time such as this, and for that, I am grateful.

Rev. Adam Briddell leads the Amity Campus of the Cathedral of the Rockies, Boise First United Methodist Church, in Idaho.

“I didn’t choose education; education chose me.” That’s how Dr. Techika C. Rhodes (MDIV ’21) explains her calling toward public service as a higher-education administrator. Rhodes has always had a desire to help people. Even as an elementary school student, she was serving on
the safety patrol and volunteering her time to tutor younger children. Her first job as a teenager was as an aide to children and adults with disabilities at the Brownwood Life Care Center in her hometown of Ft. Smith, Arkansas; this entry-level position led to her becoming an instructor and
therapy aide in the program.

At Wesley, Rhodes was able to channel her desire to help into formal ministry roles. She found herself drawn to helping her fellow students navigate the educational system, and she had the opportunity to intern with Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church, where she worked at the pastor’s Citygate nonprofit, tutoring neighborhood 5th graders. After serving at Wisconsin Avenue Baptist, she interned at the faith- based nonprofit Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual. The year after she graduated with her MDiv, Rhodes was invited to serve as a teaching assistant for several courses. She loved it.

Rhodes completed her Doctor of Ministry degree from Howard University’s Divinity School in
2024, where her thesis focused on helping people, of course, specifically evangelists struggling with burnout. She has been invited to share and present that research far and wide, including at the Church of God in Christ’s 116th Holy Convocation Academic Forum.

These days, Dr. Rhodes is working on her second doctoral degree, a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from Regent University. She plans to
continue doing what she’s always done: following that innate desire to help people.