Summer 2025 Issue

Leading the Next Generation

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Story By: Larry Happel ’81, Grace Benson ’26 and Mya Ehresman ’26

June 13, 2025

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At Central College, students find more than an education — they find a community that believes in them. Professors in the stands at their games. Scholarship donors who make their dreams possible. Every connection shapes their future.

From the medical and legal fields to education, engineering, strength and conditioning and more, Central students want to do more with their lives and future careers — more good.

Gabby

Gabby Moore ’25 remembers the feeling.

Dealing with juvenile arthritis since age eight triggered a parade of visits with physical therapists. Her gratitude for what they did for her inspired her at a young age to become one.

“Realizing the impact they had on me and the confidence they were instilling in me, I thought, ‘Whoa, I think I want to do that for other people,’” Moore says. “Honestly, I feel like I haven’t really ever had a plan B.”

Now Central is helping propel her ever closer to that goal. After receiving her kinesiology degree in May, Moore begins classes in New York University’s physical therapy program in June. She joins Central women’s basketball teammates Hannah Dau ’25 and Abby Johnson ’25 in heading to PT school next year.

“It’s kind of been the main thing my whole life so it’s exciting that it’s actually happening,” Moore says.

Moore transferred to Central in 2023 to join her sister CeCe Moore ’27 on the Dutch squad where both were starters in the 2024-25 season. CeCe missed her ninth-grade season at Waterloo West High School due to injury, so the sisters only played one season together there.

“I felt like we kind of got robbed of our time to play together,” Moore says.

They got that extra year back and more at Central. But even before basketball started, Gabby knew she made the right choice.

“What kind of drew me here was the community,” she says. “You can just feel it when you come here. It’s awesome. It doesn’t really matter who you are, what you’re going to do, what team you’re on or if you’re not on a team. Everyone gets that same amount of love from everybody, professors, coaches and students.”

That extends beyond the classroom.

“The professors are so understanding about sporting events and travel and whatnot,” Moore says. “And then you go to the game, and you see them there. It’s not like they’re only my professor in class. They’re supporting you outside of the classroom. The relationship goes deeper. They care.”

Central is giving Moore confidence she can hold her own at an elite university.

“It’s a little intimidating to hear where all these people are coming from,” she says. “But I don’t feel like just because Central is a small school, that I can’t succeed. I feel just as prepared.”

Alaina

Alaina Bunde ’26 hopes to return to the small town she grew up in to teach after graduation. The Iowa native developed a passion for teaching by watching the best role model she could have asked for: Her mother.

An elementary education major pursuing an endorsement in early childhood development with a special education inclusion, Bunde looks forward to guiding young children through their first few years of school, especially students with disabilities. Her passion for these positions came from years of watching her mother’s own work.

“Before I came to Central, I experienced the rollercoaster of what I wanted to do,” Bunde explains. “Then I got to observe a teacher who taught me in my first-grade classroom, and I instantly fell in love with teaching. I knew that’s where I needed to be.”

“My ideal position would be a K-3 special education teacher, but I could see myself as a preschool teacher, too,” she says. “I would also love to be a basketball coach as another way to be involved in my community.”

An active member of the Central community, Bunde’s desire to be involved wherever she lands is no surprise to those who know her.

“Coming to Central, I knew I wanted to do a lot of things,” Bunde says. “That’s why I came here. I’m from a small town where I was in a lot of things, and everyone knows everyone.”

On campus, Bunde has built an extensive network through a variety of involvement opportunities and leadership roles. She participates in the Education Club, serves on the leadership committee for Best Buddies, plays the tenor saxophone in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and works as a student ambassador in the admission office and a manager for the volleyball team.

Bunde sees the impact of her Central community as one of the greatest gifts Central donors give students. The scholarships she received from donor support served as the deciding factor when she was choosing between Central and a larger state school.

“I can’t thank my donors enough,” Bunde says. “I can focus on getting my education right now because they were kind enough to invest in me.”

Bunde looks forward to translating her love for Central to a lifestyle of full investment wherever she lands after graduation. Her biggest goal?

“I just want to help people,” Bunde says.

Pierre

Don’t confuse Pierre Baldwin’s ’26 unfailingly polite manners and easy smile with a lack of competitive fire on the wrestling mat.

The nationally ranked wrestler’s eyes are firmly fixed on an NCAA Division III title, and he isn’t much concerned with which opponent he has to topple along the way.

“I just wrestle whoever’s on the other side of the mat,” he says. “I don’t really worry about who it is. They’ve got to worry about Pierre Baldwin.”

But for Baldwin’s proud family back in Chicago, a prize even more significant than that crown will be his Central degree.

“Where I’m from, not a lot of people get college diplomas,” he says. “Just being able to show people who can relate to me, who understand the situation that I’ve been in there, or people who look like me, I can show them it’s possible to get a degree no matter how much it costs.”

He’s forever grateful to the Central donors who help make it possible.

“I’d just like to say thank you,” he says. “Their support has helped in so many ways, just to open up different doors. A lot of students maybe don’t realize it, but I realize it and I appreciate it so much.”

A visit to his Illinois home from Vice President for Athletics Eric Van Kley, then Central’s wrestling coach, helped solidify Baldwin’s interest.

“The main reason I came was because I felt like Coach Van Kley wanted to make me a better person, more than just a wrestler, which is what I wanted in college,” he shares.

Among the areas beyond wrestling where Baldwin has developed at Central is his Christian faith.

“My faith has grown so much because I have different people here who value the same things as me,” Baldwin expresses. “I’m not around negative things all the time, which can break that.”

In the classroom, Baldwin is a strength and conditioning major. He’s serving as a strength and conditioning intern, rising at 4 a.m. to help coach Central athletes as well as at Pella High School. It’s experience that points to a future as a graduate student, coach and, he hopes eventually, an athletics administrator.

“Coach Van Kley says one day I can take his job,” Baldwin says with a smile.

Kaylee

Kaylee Kettler ’28 dreamed of becoming an attorney long before she stepped foot on Central’s campus. Now, the first-generation college student is making that dream a reality with a major in political science and a minor in Spanish — not to mention a long list of involvements at Central.

“I just feel appreciated here,” Kettler says. “Inclusion has become so important to me at Central, and I want to help make a space for everyone.”

On campus, Kettler participates in A Cappella Choir and Mock Trial, serves as treasurer of a volunteer-based sorority and social media manager for her residence hall programming board. She also works as an admission ambassador and a student worker in the Global Café at Geisler.

Oh, and she also wants to start a yoga club.

Kettler approaches life with the same attitude she views her pending yoga certification: She sees a need, and she wants to meet it. Her commitment to others is what fueled her desire to become an attorney.

“For me, being an attorney is about trying to help people in a way they can’t help themselves,” she says. “I want to protect people from situations where their rights are being violated and help them feel respected.”

Personal relationships matter most to Kettler, and her many involvements have allowed her to meet a diverse range of community members. Through it all, she stands by her pillars of faith, resilience and integrity.

And the song “Vienna” by Billy Joel.

“Slow down, you’re doing fine. You can’t be everything you want to be before your time,” she recites with a smile.

Kettler might not be moving at what most of us would consider a slow pace, but she is making the most of her time at Central. As a first-generation college student, she thanks her donors for helping her pave the way for her own legacy.

“Donor support makes dreams like going to Central possible for kids like me who didn’t always have access to the same opportunities as everyone else,” she shares.

Kettler looks forward to applying these principles of generosity and her Central experience to a life of serving others. Her advice to the rest of us? A quote by Albert Pine:

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

Joshua

Joshua LeRette ’28 was only 10 years old, but he remembers the conversation with his mom, Dawn Turner LeRette ’93, vividly.

“I had a friend I would play with outside,” he recalls. “One day at school he told me that he didn’t want to go home for the holidays because there was nothing to eat. That really struck a chord with me because I never had to worry about that. I was telling my mom about it, and she said, ‘Well, what are you going to do to help?’”

Christmas was nearing. That sparked an idea.

“I never really played with toys,” he says. “I was more into exercise and playing outside with my friends. So, I decided, I didn’t need things that were never going to get used and then thrown away.”

So LeRette asked for food items instead of presents and donated them to the food pantry in his hometown of Red Oak, Iowa.

But he wanted to do more. A lemonade stand near his house morphed into asking friends and family members to provide goods for an annual bake sale, eventually getting permission to set up in the local Fareway store parking lot during the town’s Junction Days celebration at the end of June. Some 300 food items were provided by more than 100 bakers last year, generating more than $3,000 in donations. His efforts have raised more than $30,000 overall.

He’ll never forget the first $1,500 check he brought to the pantry.

“There were two really sweet, older ladies in there working, stocking shelves,” LeRette says. “And one of them just started to cry when I gave it to them. And the head of the pantry gave me a big hug.”

LeRette is preparing for a career as a mechanical engineer at Central, carrying a heavy course load while also competing in tennis and serving on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, but he’s talking with Red Oak service organizations to ensure the sale continues.

He saw the other side of generosity when he received a Presidential Scholarship to Central. It was well-timed after the family’s funeral home business burned to the ground in his senior year of high school.

“It was a huge relief to get that,” he says. “It’s been a stressful process getting here, but Central College, with its emotional and academic support, as well as the financial support I was blessed to receive, has made this journey so much easier.”

Open the Door

These students aren’t just preparing for careers — they’re preparing to change the world. And who better than Central graduates to lead the way?

Be part of their story.

Support A World of Good, the Journey Scholarship Fund or another area to open doors of opportunity for more students like Gabby, Alaina, Pierre, Kaylee and Joshua.

What we do for others today creates ripples that last for generations. Your gift to Central sends a clear message: “You are welcome. You are wanted. And you will do great things here and beyond.”

Students Sent

Central College students set out to do a world of good through their involvement on campus, including Campus Ministries.

Almost as soon as students come through the Chapel doors, Campus Ministries likes to send them away.

Since Chaplain Joe Brummel arrived at Central in 2000, Campus Ministries’ mission has been, “Make, grow, send.” Through weekly worship, Bible studies and discipleship, students grow into followers of Jesus, and through mission trips, they serve all over the world.

For 24 years, Campus Ministries has spent the last week of Winter Break at the country’s southern border. From 2001-10, they served in Mexico; since 2011 they have partnered with a pastor and church in Mission, Texas. There, the group constructs homes, cultivates community and encourages other local ministries. Many students experience community and service that changes the course of their college experience, making this long-standing partnership more than worth the 22-hour drive from Pella.

Spring Break is more than soaking up the sun for Campus Ministries. A week without classes inspires many students to learn in other ways. While in New York, students attended an interfaith gathering, sparking intercultural interactions and deep conversation around faith. In Kentucky, Campus Ministries organized an event for foster children.

Over summer, students have one more chance to serve ahead of summer jobs, internships and other commitments.

While abroad, students work alongside long-term missionaries, becoming part of the organization they are there to support. They facilitate retreats, learn about the area they’re serving, play games with children, worship in different languages and more.

Throughout every season, Campus Ministries lives out its mission. Whether in Texas, New York, Tanzania or elsewhere, when students step out of their comfort zones and serve others, their faith deepens and lives are changed — further evidence that students were never meant to stay in the Chapel forever. They were meant to be sent.