BVU student,Ryan Scheetz, wants to make a difference in South Sudan

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Ryan Scheetz

STORM LAKE, IA (10/10/2012)(readMedia)--  Ryan Scheetz, a senior Buena Vista University (BVU) corporate communication major from Omaha, Neb., has a passion for helping others through non-profit work. In January 2013, he will have the opportunity to help people in South Sudan thanks to the J. Leslie Rollins Fellowship Award he earned in 2011.

To start the New Year, Ryan will be delivering donated computers and Bibles to a refugee camp in South Sudan. The computers will be used to educate the Sudanese and help them get familiar with the technology. Ryan will be documenting much of his experience on video with plans of composing a video about the area and the plight of the people who live there.

This journey began very locally – when Ryan interned at The Bridge in Storm Lake, a Christian outreach organization. During Ryan's month-long internship, he worked closely with Peter Omot, a native of South Sudan. Ryan's passion for working with the Sudanese people emerged in his post-internship reflections, and his advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Lamoureux, professor of speech communication at BVU, decided he needed a new outlet in which to explore it.

"He had just switched majors – from pre-engineering to corporate communication with the hope of applying his technical skills in an interpersonal or intercultural setting. His internship with The Bridge would blend those competencies as well as his commitment to his faith," Lamoureux says. "When I read Ryan's final internship paper, I was struck by his passion for service and the story behind his dream to take used laptops to Sudan and to train the locals in basic computer skills. I contacted him immediately to tell him about the (J.Leslie Rollins) fellowship. I shared examples of proposals that had been supported in the past and told Ryan, 'We can do this!'"

The J. Leslie Rollins Fellowship is a highly competitive award given each year to a BVU sophomore to allow the student to develop his/her talents and interests beyond the opportunities in the curriculum of the university.

"At first, I was a little skeptical whether or not I should go for this fellowship because it seemed so out of reach. Dr. Lamoureux helped me see what was possible. Her drive has given me a plethora of opportunities and more keep arising," Ryan says. "Anne Dahlhauser has also been a big influence on me. She is the co-founder and co-owner of The Bridge of Storm Lake and was an adjunct Spanish instructor at BV. She and her husband have been there right next to me through the decisions and circumstances that have come up throughout the process."

Ryan worked hard to research and gather specifics about his proposed trip. Beyond expenses – everything from airfares to daily meal costs and logistics of housing – he also had to have one or two contacts in the community he would be visiting. Through connections made at The Bridge, Ryan was able to secure these contacts in South Sudan, and include them in his written proposal. He has high hopes for his upcoming mission.

"We will be striving to increase awareness of issues there and inform more people here in the United States on how they can help support us for a return trip," Ryan says. "I will also be meeting with organizations in South Sudan to learn more about the area and to gain knowledge about the best ways we could help."

Awareness of Ryan's trip is already spreading and causing others to join in. When Ryan received the Rollins Fellowship during the Academic Awards Banquet last spring, Jim Burnette, father of BVU senior Rachel Burnette, took note and insisted on meeting Ryan. Burnette works at Heartland Technology Systems (HTS) in Harlan, and he has access to many used laptops. After a discussion with Arlin Sorenson, owner of HTS, Burnette has arranged for an undetermined number of laptops to be donated to Ryan's mission.

"I am so very impressed with the passion with which Ryan has approached this project. It is not often that one finds such passion for something that brings only marginal advantage to themselves, but instead places value in the long term results which will be achieved for others," Burnette says. "I am proud to know Ryan and play whatever role I might to help achieve the goal he is striving for."

Ryan feels a strong calling to make a difference in the lives of others.

"This generation is the generation of change and we have the opportunity to be a part of it. We have the resources, the knowledge, the background, and the information to change many lives. We are a generation with compassion for the less fortunate and now is the time to show it," Ryan says.

Lamoureux believes Ryan has the right set of skills and drive to lead the charge of change and compassion.

"Ryan's gifts are many. He is a good logical thinker and is not afraid to take risks. The fact that he's traveled internationally gave me the added confidence that this trip is within his reach. His passion for service will likely influence his future career path," Lamoureux says.

Ryan is no stranger to international travel. In January 2012, he traveled to Nepal for an experience that combined experiences in leadership, service and evangelism. He also studied abroad in Spain in fall 2011. Ryan also played baseball in Prague, the Czech Republic in the summer of 2012 for the American International Sports Teams organization. He is a co-captain of the BVU baseball team this year and was a member of the 2011 team that placed fourth in the NCAA Division III College World Series.