MEET jeremy vanderhyde '15

Science Laboratory Services, Building Manager, and EHS Specialist

Began his career at WLC in August 2017 (the day of the “Great American” total solar eclipse)

What do you enjoy most about your role at WLC?

The thing I enjoy most about my role at WLC is the incredible variety of things I get to do from month-to-month, day-to-day, and even minute-to-minute when things get a little crazy. I also enjoy how, within the ebb and flow of the school year, there are different things for me to focus on, from getting student workers up and running at the start of the school year, to preparing labs during the semester, to cleaning, taking inventories, and working on big projects during the summer.

Who has had the greatest influence on you during your time at WLC?

When I think back on what one person has had the biggest influence on my time here at WLC, I think the answer has to be Dr. Dan Ebeling '98. His love for chemistry is only slightly eclipsed by his love for his students and his Lord, and as a freshman who had him as my general chemistry professor for both semesters, he had an outsized impact on my early experience. Later in my studies I had the opportunity to conduct research under his supervision, and now as a colleague of his I am very blessed to consider him a good friend and mentor. He is always willing to join me in taking apart non-functioning equipment to see if we can get it running again, and he is such an encouragement to me in many ways.

How can alumni and the college’s supporters impact what you do for WLC?

Prayers are always welcomed and appreciated! Our science building is now of legal drinking age (Generac Hall was built in 2004) and much of the equipment and many of the components that were purchased and installed when the building was built are beginning to show their age. Prayers that equipment would continue to run as intended and that we would have no catastrophic failures of any kind will go a long way. And, if you feel moved to do so, our development team would be happy to share a list of items that need to be replaced or upgraded and that we would love to find a sponsor for.

What is one thing you’d tell a freshman they need to experience during their time as a student at WLC?

I strongly believe that one of the best experiences that WLC has to offer is the annual Campus Ministry Retreat. I was so blessed to have a few upper-classmen friends who pushed me to go as a freshman, and I am so glad that they did. The experience of spending a weekend away playing games until the wee hours of the morning, eating ALL the junk food, sledding, playing broomball, and most importantly, digging deep into God’s word with fellow students, campus pastors, and vicars was truly an experience that shaped me and helped me develop some of the closest relationships I would cultivate during my time as a student at WLC. I have been blessed to attend 14 retreats spread over my time as a student, and also post-graduation as a chaperone.

Name one area where WLC has seen the most growth since you were a student?

While I was a student at WLC, I enjoyed an exceptional housing experience while living on campus. Our freshman residence halls consistently earn high marks from outside reviewers, and I can say that it was a great experience living in them. Then, during my junior year, WLC began a new construction project. During that year I regularly visited a friend whose apartment had a very good view of what was being built between 89th St. and 90th St. on Wisconsin Avenue, so I was able to watch the building slowly take shape. That building would eventually become the Aspire residence hall, and while I never had the pleasure to live in it myself, I have heard countless stories from friends, siblings, and now student workers of mine about what an amazing experience it is to be able to live in one of the Aspire apartments. Let’s be real, how many of us would have loved a modern, on-campus, two-bed, two-bath apartment with full kitchen and living area when we were in college?

What hasn’t changed at WLC since you were a student?

I believe that a wonderful aspect of our campus life that doesn’t get enough attention at times is the effort put in by Barb Wellnitz '02 and the Warrior Events Board (WEB) to plan and execute events for students. Some of my best memories were made at events such as Monday Madness (weekly trivia), midnight bingo, bowling for a buck, casino night, and the occasional $5 Mystery Bus outing. Many of these events are still mainstays of campus life, and I am so glad that students continue to enjoy them as I did more than a decade later.

Share one fun fact about yourself that others may not know.

I enjoy casual photography and have recently gotten into macro photography. This type of photography appeals to me greatly because 1) you don’t have to travel to find interesting things to photograph, 2) you don’t have to deal with “posing” people or squirrely kids, and 3) macro photography takes so much technical skill that I expect to be able to spend years learning, improving, and trying new techniques without ever getting tired of it. I also love how things that typically look so ordinary can look so extraordinary when you zoom in close enough. Pictured are two such photos I took one afternoon that really stuck out to me, simple though they are. One is the edge of a leaf of kale, and the other is the stem of an avocado.

Tell us your favorite WLC story.

My favorite WLC story happened thousands of miles from WLC’s campus. It happened during the summer after my sophomore year when the Wisconsin Lutheran College Choir and Chamber Choir took a two-week international tour to England and Ireland (and very briefly Wales.) We saw so many neat things on this trip, from London Bridge to Blarney Castle; Shakespeare’s Birthplace to the Cliffs of Mohr; a US Air Force Base in the UK to a quaint working farm in the Irish countryside. In addition to the sights we saw, the sounds were incredible too. That year we had a particularly gifted group of singers in the choir, and just remembering the way the music echoed through the arches of the many cathedrals we sang in still gives me chills. To top it all off, my tour “bus buddy” eventually became my “life buddy” and we have since had three “little buddies” together.