Cedarville Stories

Lucy Malmberg: Cradled in a Box, Carried by Faith Lucy Malmberg’s life began in the shadow of World War II. Born in a refugee camp and carried onto a plane bound for America inside a handmade box, she traveled hidden beneath a blanket with nothing but a handwritten birth certificate and her father’s whispered prayer. Her parents had fled the devastation of Ukraine with no home, no country, and lit...

Bill Bolthouse: More Than Vegetables Bill Bolthouse’s story began in the rich black soil of Grant, Michigan, where long rows of onions shaped both his childhood and his character. Working alongside his family on their muck farm, Bill learned early what honest labor demanded — often on his knees, pulling weeds under the summer sun. Each season, his dad entrusted him with three-quarters of an acre t...

From Walks to Wisdom: Hembo’s Journey From Cedarville to ESPN In the world of sports, stats tell stories — and for Paul “Hembo” Hembekides, they’ve written a full chapter of his life. Hembo graduated from Cedarville University in 2012 after four seasons of college baseball, where he started 170 games and set the program’s all-time record with 128 walks. That patience and discipline at the plate hi...

Bench Press and Biblical Truth: The Strength of Dr. Trent Rogers Dr. Trent Rogers doesn’t fit the stereotype of a Bible professor and college dean. Sure, he’s got the credentials — a doctorate in New Testament, years of pastoral experience, and a deep love for Scripture. But he also once bench-pressed 670 pounds, setting a world record. That same drive to be the best shapes everything he does, fro...

A Game Plan for Sports Health Sports have always played an important role in Hayden Lee’s life. Now a Doctor of Pharmacy/MBA student at Cedarville University, Hayden’s journey from high school athlete to aspiring sports pharmacist shows how passion and purpose can collide in powerful ways. Growing up, Hayden was all in — on the field, in the weight room, and in the classroom. His love for biology...

Press Box Perspectives: Jeff Gilbert Sports are Jeff Gilbert’s passion. What started as a hobby of cutting out sports stories from newspapers and magazines and crafting his own narrative for each story has blossomed into a thrilling career as the beat reporter for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and assistant professor of journalism at Cedarville University. In this week’s Cedarville Stories...

Hope in Hard Places: Greg and Erica Smith Erica Smith woke up in a hospital bed, confused and restrained, believing she’d been abandoned and tortured. She had just survived a weeklong medically induced coma caused by a sudden, life-threatening allergic reaction — one that nearly stole her life. At the same time, her mother was dying of cancer. And just a few months earlier, her husband Greg had lo...

Coach Rob Jones: Leading Cedarville Hoops With Purpose and Passion Basketball season is back in full swing at Cedarville, and the Yellow Jackets are charging into year two under Head Coach Rob Jones. With a season of experience already under his belt, Coach Jones is building more than just a competitive team — he's shaping a culture rooted in faith, grit, and brotherhood. In this episode of the Ce...

Aaron Welty: The Heroics of Weakness Aaron Welty grew up with his eyes on the stars — not just the ones overhead, but the ones in stories. Galaxies far, far away, rings of power, and caped crusaders filled his imagination. But while most kids left those adventures behind when the movie ended, Aaron carried them with him. For him, those tales weren’t just entertainment — they were roadmaps pointing...

From a Curious Teen to a Confident Voice in Creation Science Born a Buckeye near Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Georgia Purdom grew up in public school where she got a solid education — but something was missing. The classroom instruction didn’t point to the Bible, and the lessons never once started with Scripture. Even as a teenager, Georgia knew she wanted more than just academics — she wanted truth ground...

Beyond the Stars: Lauryn Leslie’s Journey From Cedarville to NASA For Lauryn Leslie, the stars were never just distant lights in the sky — they were a destination. As a child, she’d look up and wonder what it might be like to explore the universe God had spoken into being. Today, that childhood dream is blazing into reality. A 2024 Cedarville University graduate, Lauryn now works at NASA, helping...

Saying Yes to Water and the Gospel: Dr. Pete Savard’s Journey Dr. Pete Savard, a 1990 graduate of Cedarville University, never imagined his life would be defined by clean water and the Gospel. A nurse educator and medical innovator, Pete once designed mobile hospitals for the U.S. government. But when that chapter closed, God began to stir something deeper in his heart. What started as a broad vis...

From Tragedy to Triumph: Ellie Wyse’s Journey of Hope and Healing   When Ellie Wyse arrived at Cedarville University as a freshman, she carried more than just the typical college nerves. She brought with her the deep wounds of trauma — wounds inflicted on May 7, 2019, when her high school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was attacked by an active shooter. That day changed everything. A classmate lost...

The Unseen Sibling: Rebecca Robinson’s Journey Through Love, Loss, and Hope Rebecca Robinson grew up in a home marked by both deep love and quiet sacrifice. Her older sister, Kara, was born with severe Cerebral Palsy. From the beginning, Kara required round-the-clock care, medical equipment, and endless patience — needs her parents met with unwavering devotion and compassion. Their home was filled...

Serving the Score and the Savior: Sean Kisch’s Hollywood Calling When Sean Kisch moved to Los Angeles, he wasn’t chasing the spotlight — he was answering a call to serve. Sean works as a music copyist at JoAnn Kane Music Service, one of the top music preparation firms in the film industry. If you’ve seen a big-budget film in the last decade, there’s a good chance JoAnn Kane had a hand in it — and...

Little Leaders: Big Faith From a Small-Town Dreamer Brad Silvius, a 1992 graduate of Cedarville University, was shaped by a foundation of faith built in the Village of Cedarville — a faith that continues to guide his life and ministry today. That deep-rooted love for Jesus has laid the groundwork for Little Leaders — a vibrant multimedia platform that helps children grow in biblical truth while bu...

A Life Scripted in Cursive and Grace Catie Holt’s story reads like a favorite chapter book — warm, engaging, and full of purpose. A 2006 Cedarville University alumna, Catie’s years on campus gave her more than a degree; they gave her a biblical lens with which to view the world. That foundation became her anchor as she traveled across continents, teaching in China and later in the heart of Chicago...

Religious Liberty Hits Home: Randall Wenger Religious liberty isn’t just a topic for scholars or lawyers — it’s something that touches everyday life. It matters when a business owner faces pressure to go against their faith. It matters when a worker is told they have to choose between their job and their religious convictions. And that’s exactly why the work of Randall Wenger, Chief Counsel at the...

Walking by Faith, Training With Purpose From Cedarville to the Indianapolis Colts and now the University of Kansas Jayhawks, Kyler Conn’s journey is one stitched together by purpose, perseverance, and a deep-rooted faith. A recent graduate of Cedarville University’s rigorous BA in sports medicine and Master of Athletic Training five-year program, Kyler's path has never been just about tape and tre...

Trusting God Through Tragedy: Melissa Harris As a Cedarville University graduate in athletic training, Melissa Harris '02 believed she had a clear calling — serve student-athletes and be a light for Christ through her profession. But God had an unexpected direction in mind, calling her instead into recreation ministry — a shift she hadn’t planned but embraced in faith. That same willingness to tru...

Rooted in Truth: A Story of Two Shepherds and Their Book It wasn’t over coffee or during a conference that the idea for Rooted in Truth was born — it grew slowly, quietly, over years of shared ministry. Drs. Jon Wood and Trent Rogers have been walking alongside college students for a long time, answering the same honest, heartfelt questions about faith, life, and purpose. After hearing “What shoul...

Side by Side: Ari and Julie Tompkins  There’s something special about the bond between twins — but Ari and Julie Tompkins take it to a whole new level. This week, the small-town sisters from Mogadore, Ohio, began their 1000 Days™ at Cedarville University, walking into college hand-in-hand — just like they’ve done with most things in life. Faith-filled and full of heart, Ari and Julie are joining t...

Shaping Christ-Centered Leaders After nearly four decades in banking — culminating in a role leading over 7,000 employees across 1,000 Huntington Bank branches—Jon Greenwood knows a thing or two about leadership. He didn’t just climb the corporate ladder; he built the culture beneath it, rooted in trust, consistency, and hard work. A self-proclaimed “overachiever,” Jon thrived by showing up, outwo...

Fighting Infectious Diseases: Rachel Burgoon Rachel Burgoon didn’t just choose pharmacy — she chose a mission. As an infectious disease pharmacist, her work is ministry through medicine. Every treatment she recommends is driven by a deep desire to serve others and honor Christ. Her journey began in Maryland but found clarity and calling at Cedarville University, where the integration of faith and...

Rocket Science and Redemption: Dr. Joe Miller In a quiet town just outside Dayton, Ohio — where the history of aviation runs deep — Dr. Joe Miller’s journey took flight with a love for airplanes and a desire to serve God. As a high school student, deeply moved by the courage of missionary aviators and the powerful message of Elisabeth Elliot’s Through Gates of Splendor , Joe began to ask a bold, l...