OUR LEADERSHIP
bob beckwith
director
Bob Beckwith is the director of the UGA Wesley Foundation, and has been here since 1999. That means he is ultimately responsible for all of Wesley's ministries and financials. He is an elder in the North Georgia United Methodist Conference and serves Wesley by the discretion of the conference's Bishop. He spends the majority of his time leading the director staff, casting strategic vision for all of Wesley, and speaking on Wednesday nights.
lead ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS
LEAD ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ARE LONG TERM STAFF MEMBERS WHO GIVE LEADERSHIP
TO THE KEY AREAS OF WESLEY'S MINISTRY: DISCIPLESHIP, THE INTERNSHIP, AND FRESHLEY. THEY ASSIST BOB WITH MAJOR DECISIONS AND HELP SUSTAIN THE OVERALL VISION OF WESLEY.
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lindsay atkinson
Student Experience
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daniel
simmons
FRESHLEY + staff
development
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ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS
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TIM DEL RISCO
FRESHLEY
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mellisa deramus
DISCIPLESHIP
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ERIN GILLELAND
STAFF DEVELOPMENT +
ADVANCEMENT
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kenimer highsmith
CONNECT + Diversity outreach
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SCOTTLYN
JAMES
ADMINISTRATION + Missions
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kimberly klaer
ADVANCEMENT
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megan mcgarrah
FRESHLEY
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devon radford
MEDIA + Diversity outreach
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KELLY dejarnett
STAFF DEVELOPMENT + crosstrainers
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Dustin sosebee
worship
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kristen sosebee
worship
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aaron vickroy
discipleship
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leah vickroy
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
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ryan steffes
Encounter
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Merrick Steffes
Encounter
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Sarah Shelnutt
Missions, YOuth + advancement
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adam Salway
Freshley prayer
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reagan bocook
Freshley prayer
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third years
Third YEAR INTERNING IS ALL ABOUT INTEGRATING IDENTITY LEARNED IN FIRST YEAR AND INFLUENCE FROM SECOND YEAR. THIRD YEARS GET HANDS ON EXPERIENCE AS LEADERS IN THE MINISTRY BY SERVING AS ASSISTANTS TO DIRECTORS OVER MINISTRY AREAS.
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Amelia Caldwell3RD YEAR INTERN | MEDIA + ADMIN
Amelia (aka Meals) is a third year Media and Admin intern. Some of her favorite things include iced coffee, old country music, sports, traveling, TJ Maxx, and dogs (& dawgs). She’s passionate about people knowing God and stepping into who they were created to be.
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Austin Allison
3RD YEAR INTERN | Connect
Wanna go get ice cream?
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Avery Orlans
3RD YEAR INTERN | freshley + INternational ministry
Avery is a third year intern who is passionate about leadership development, and eating pineapple on pizza. After a brief acting career (it was one time when he was 8 years old) on a TLC reality TV show, he decided to attend UGA where he studied Advertising and Religion. His hopes while interning are to gain experience in vocational ministry and he is excited to see what God continues to do in Athens, GA.
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Cristina rosiles
3RD YEAR INTERN | CONNECT
Cristina is a third year connect intern. If you ever need any boujee coffee advice, she’s your gal. If you’re around her any amount of time, you can count on her talking about the enneagram, Taylor Swift, Cortez, CO, or any combination of the above. She’s passionate about people living in the fullness of their identity and loves to ask deep questions.
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Emily Helton
3RD YEAR INTERN | prayer
Emily is a third year Prayer and Media Intern. Abiding in God’s presence, intercession, inner-healing, health, justice, and adventure are a few of her deepest passions. Her greatest desire for herself is to lead and create from a place of continual surrender to God's voice. Her greatest desire for others is to discover the deep and fragrant presence of God and His love for them. On a normal day, you'll find her at Jit Joe's in five points writing, reading, or talking with someone. You may also catch her trail running at her favorite spots in Athens! On the atypical day, you may find her hiking somewhere in the mountains or visiting nearby cities just to try their staple coffee shops.
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Hannah Cole
3RD YEAR INTERN | encounter + prayer
Maranatha, bby!!!!
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Katherine Burnette
3RD YEAR INTERN | freshley, assistant to the lead associate director
Biiiiiiiig sunset and spotify girl
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Sam Carroll
3RD YEAR INTERN | media
Venmo: @Sam-Carroll-8
https://pushpay.com/g/ugawesleyfoundation?fnd=EFzn38HK-wOMAuW56MWQjw&fndv=Lock
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sam forbes
3RD YEAR INTERN | media
Sam is a third year media intern. She graduated from UGA in 2018 with a degree in marketing. She's a big fan of iced coffee, the ocean, avocados, sunsets, the sky in general, photography, summer, being outside, looking out airplane windows, traveling, and cats. You can find her on wednesday nights holding a camera or in the production booth. She's passionate about people resting in God's love. You don't have to earn it.
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Tori Kramer
3RD YEAR INTERN | discipleship
If you can’t find me, I’m probably in the Starbucks drive thru ✌🏻
seconD YEARS
THE SECOND YEAR OF INTERNING IS ALL ABOUT INFLUENCE. WE SEEK TO UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS DIED FOR US TO DO IN TERMS OF REALIZING HOW WE CAN SERVE AND IMPACT OTHERS THROUGH THE SKILLS, TALENTS, AND STRENGTHS THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.
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Andrew Sorrells
2nd YEAR | discipleship + Connect
Howdy, partner
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Andrew Elder
2ND YEAR | encounter
Andrew likes words. Sad music makes him happy, and happy music makes him sad. He writes emo songs, and he used to perform them downtown before... well, ya know... He eats too much Thai food and drinks too much coffee. Did I mention he likes words? He's finding his voice through process and prose, and he likes asking questions to help you find yours. He keeps an open mind without his brain falling out, and he wrote this about himself in third person. Isn't that odd?
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Brooklyn Holloway
2ND YEAR | media + encounter
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Claire Jordan
2ND YEAR | media + diversity outreach
Claire — you can’t miss her! She’s 6’1” and so much fun. If nonsense is a spiritual gift, she’s got it. Claire strongly believes in the healing power of a good laugh and a deep chat over coffee.
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Cole morton
2ND YEAR | freshley
Joyfully satisfied in Christ!
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elizabeth sprinkle
2ND YEAR | admin, advancement + encounter
Elizabeth is a 1st year Admin, Missions, and Encounter intern. You can find her adventuring with friends, making coffee at Jittery Joe’s, or laughing 99% of the time. She is often described as a golden retriever puppy and is easily amused at pretty much anything. Elizabeth is most excited for what the Lord is doing in Athens this school year and is praying for breakthrough, identities, and joy to be poured out on UGA’s campus.
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Garner gay
2ND YEAR | DISCIPLESHIP + youth
It’s been said that Garner’s almost always the loudest person in the room, but it’s only because she’s so easily excited about even the smallest of things God does. She loves golden retrievers and St. Patrick’s Day, and she’s a firm believer that pineapple DOES belong on pizza. More than that, she believes that her calling is to help everyone bring out their inner child and to teach them to embrace the joy that it brings.
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john wesley
2ND YEAR | encounter + student athlete outreach
John is a second year intern who recently graduated from UGA with degrees in Advertising and Sport Management. He loves playing sports and having good conversations over a cup of coffee or good food. John wants to go into full time ministry so he’s pumped to start that with Wesley this year. He hopes to know Jesus better and make Jesus better known this year.
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julia kostakos
2ND YEAR | freshley
Julia is a second year intern who graduated from UGA with a degree in Marketing! She loves good Spotify playlists, crazy fashion blogs, Marvel movies and oat milk!!! (In a COVID-less world) you can typically find Julia in the middle of the dance floor or at a really good coffee shop (in her opinion, Starbucks is a really good coffee shop oops).
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kailey middlebrooks
2ND YEAR | freshley
Kailey is a 2nd year intern who just graduated from UGA with a degree in Advertising. She is super fun & crazy and wants to be your friend :-) Fun fact: a lot of people have my number memorized because it's so easy! Join in on the trend and I can also bail YOU out of jail--> (229) 456-1520!!!
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katie jane (KJ) knoblauch
2ND YEAR | the light + diversity outreach
She is joyfully messing up as she slowly becomes the person she has prayed to be.
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lindsey bowen
2ND YEAR | the light
Lindsey is a second-year intern with The Light who graduated from UGA with a degree in fashion merchandising. She loves clothes (duh), cherry coke, and is always down to sing karaoke. Catch her daydreaming about warmer weather and a world with brighter colors.
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makinizi hoover
2ND YEAR | FRESHLEY
Makinizi has a huge heart for freshmen and is so pumped to work on Freshley staff this year. She is obsessed with fireworks, fire, and stars – fitting considering her name means “born of fire.” You can often find her having coffee with a friend, taking a power nap, or doing something outdoors. She desires to see awakening in Athens and the campus of UGA, and cannot wait to see God move this year!!!
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olivia griffin
2ND YEAR | FRESHLEY
Most people know her as Piv. She loves sneakers, Dr Pepper, and wide open spaces. Her biggest concern in life is to have fun!
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rachel jones
2ND YEAR | connect, encounter + student experience
Rachel is so excited to cultivate here at UGA alongside the other interns this year! Her goal is to empower the students at UGA to form long lasting relationships with God and to show them how seen and loved they are. If you ever see her around Wesley, she would love to chat with you about anything. Rachel loves connection and encouragement, so if you want more of that come find her!
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sydney rollings
2ND YEAR | discipleship + encounter
hey, it's me, syd - let's be friends!!!
first YEARS
FIRST YEAR INTERNING IS ALL ABOUT IDENTITY, WE AIM TO UNDERSTAND WHO GOD IS AND WHO HE MADE US TO BE AS HIS CHILDREN.
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Allyson willman
1st YEAR | DISCIPLESHIP + encounter
Allyson is a senior studying exercise and sport science and she hopes to go to PT school next year. She is an enneagram 9 and a huge fan of one-on-one conversations with people. She is an avid chai latte drinker and loves to be cozy with blankets and candles and watch tv or movies. She is always available to talk anything One direction. Currently, her favorite things to do are watch teen wolf and play Disney sing it with her roommates and to jam to Hamilton music in the car.
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Andrew smith
1ST YEAR | the light + connect
Andrew is passionate about the economic development of lower income areas and the completion of a "Six Seasons and a Movie" for Community. He thinks life would be much better if there was continuous background music in it and if people watched more comedies than dramas. He studied International Policy at UGA and is excited to see the things that God will do through Wesley and in Athens this year!
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anna Dicosty
1ST YEAR | encounter + missions
Anna graduated from UGA with a degree in International Affairs and a minor in Spanish. She enjoys cooking and hiking in the mountains. Anna is passionate about hearing the Lord's voice and mission trips, so she is very excited that both of those things get to be a part of her job this year!
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ansley davenport
1ST YEAR | ENCOUNTER
Ansley is a first year Encounter intern who’s also the official plant waterer of Wesley. She’s a 4w5 on the enneagram so if you ever want to talk about feelings or learn about the British monarchy, she’s your girl. This year Ansley is praying for the body of Wesley to fully experience the love of God.
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Ashley young
1ST YEAR | connect + missions
Ashley loves Dr. Pepper only second to water- hydration, ya know? She LOVES anything Georgia football related. She graduated with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Religion from UGA. If she’s not at Wesley she can be found hanging with her pup, Marley! Oh, and she wants to go to law school. Go Dawgs!
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Braden traylor
1ST YEAR | worship
Hey, gang. i’m braden. grew up in moultrie. i love parks and rec. it’s worlds better than the office...would love to tell u why that is absolutely true sometime. i play golf. pretty much only eat breakfast food. can beat cole morton in bible trivia. thanks for stopping by!
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cameron shockey
1ST YEAR | freshley
As of today, Cameron's Google search history consists of:
Waffle House near me
How to effectively avoid a hug video
How long would it have actually taken Forrest Gump to run that far?
Good arguments against the enneagram
Why the smartest people in the world nap?
When does America’s Thrift close?
22 Jump Street slam poetry scene
Can you still eat queso if you are lactose intolerant?
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courtney shockey
1ST YEAR | discipleship
Courtney is a first-year discipleship intern and super excited to be in Athens for another year. She graduated from UGA with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science but HATES to exercise oops. She is absolutely obsessed with the concept of joy, and she is super passionate about people finding uncircumstantial joy in life that extends beyond the limits of happiness. She personally says ‘heck, yes’ to naps, literally any type of dog, Taqueria del Sol on a Friday, laughing at yourself, America’s thrift t-shirts, movie quotes, riding with the windows down (even in the rain), the fall, and a good pair of sneakers.
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caroline barnes
1ST YEAR | media
Caroline is a media intern who recently graduated from UGA with a degree in photojournalism. She loves Athens, chai lattes, being outdoors (lake/mountains over beach), and will discuss Taylor Swift any time! You can usually find her with her camera or in the media booth at Freshley. She is really passionate about students knowing that God loves them as they are and is their friend!
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davis orr
1ST YEAR | freshley
Davis is a first-year Freshley Intern who recently graduated from UGA with a degree in Finance. He loves Georgia Football, Braves Baseball, and a good cup of coffee (or a few!!). He's excited to meet every freshman and see them encounter God!
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eliana paga
1ST YEAR | FRESHLEY
An island girl at heart, but an Athens-native in her dreams, Eliana is a first year Freshley intern from St. Simons finishing up her degree in biology. She loves babies, driving fast, and GOOD food. When she’s not working at Wesley or zooming into class, she can be found on her way to Starbucks with a friend to grab her classic vanilla iced coffee with cream. Eliana is excited to be a part of creating a meaningful experience for freshmen this year and wants them to learn they have a place here in Athens:))
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emily galphin
1ST YEAR | FRESHLEY
Emily is a first year intern and apart of Freshley staff. She has a love for Beyoncé Homecoming, long convos about Little Women, playing tennis, and stand up comedy. Her heart fights for empowering others and making them feel known.
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emily huckaby
1ST YEAR | discipleship, youth, encounter + student experience
Emily is a first year intern on Discipleship, Encounter, Youth and Student Experience! She graduated this past May with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and LOVES working with kids!! Emily is a known Broadway junkie, and likely has a copy (or knows how to get a copy) of any show that you could possibly think of. Her current favorite show is Beetlejuice, and you should DEFINITELY ask her about it. She is also VERY passionate about the fact that there is no Jr. Holy Spirit, and believes that you can learn a lot about how a middle/high school student hears from God. Emily loves meeting new people, so PLEASE come up to her and introduce yourself (in a socially-distanced manner of course)!!!!!
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Gabbi Pohlman
1ST YEAR | discipleship
Gabbi is a first year discipleship intern who recently graduated from UGA with degrees in Psychology and Religion. She loves being barefoot, going on long walks, studying theology, and cooking new gluten & dairy free recipes. She is constantly thinking about India and would love to talk to anyone about God’s heart for the nations.
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Haley blanchard
1ST YEAR | media + encounter
Haley is in awe of the gift of the Cross :)
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jake stephens
1ST YEAR | discipleship, diversity outreach + ENCOUNTER
Jake is a first year intern who graduated with a degree in Health & Physical Education. He loves being outside, trying new things, and talking to people about Jesus. He once led a Bollywood Zumba lesson for a class project and has been chasing that high ever since. Believes awkward conversations impact eternity :)
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jonathan emerson
1ST YEAR | worship
He was born and raised in Athens, but has never been to a UGA football game! Is always down for Taco Bell...even at midnight. He always has at least one stick of deodorant on him at all times. Jonathan is also moderately decent at disc golf!
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Julia patterson
1ST YEAR | connect
Hi, I’m Julia and I like warm hugs!
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Justin peterson
1ST YEAR | discipleship, encounter + youth
Justin recently graduated from UGA with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Right now he spends most of his time working at Wesley, or just hanging out with friends. He loves sharing the gospel with anyone! You might see him riding his bike through Athens (occasionally on a tandem). He also enjoys playing music, exploring new places, and editing videos! Check out his youtube channel, "ricebottle," for some fun, family-friendly vlogs! Also, he likes eggs.
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kami hopkins
1ST YEAR | connect + student experience
I’m really bad at bios. Let’s get coffee.
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kayla vickery
1ST YEAR | crosstrainers
Kayla is a first-year Crosstrainers intern. She’s a big fan of kids, country music, board games + New Girl. She is passionate about making sure people feel seen and known. Kayla loves quality time and would love to get coffee with you sometime. Feel free to dm her on insta @kayla_vickery14
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kylie siegmund
1ST YEAR | worship
Kylie is a recent graduate of UGA with a degree in Finance. She is finishing her accounting degree this semester and is a 1st year worship intern. She loves hiking and getting to get to know people, and her love languages are notes and flowers!
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Lindsay Kiser
1ST YEAR | freshley
Lindsay has a love for dr. pepper, country music (oldies + the new guys), all movies (unless they are scary), hugging, talking and hugging some more. She was a human development and family science major, and she is passionate about adoption. She is excited for her fifth year of doing Freshley - she loves to help create space for students to encounter the Lord the way she did when she was a student!
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mackenzie wells
1ST YEAR | media
Mackenzie is a rather introverted person who happens to feel completely at home at Wesley. She loves reading, making tea, and spending time outside. Her favorite place at Wesley is sitting on top of the roof. She loves going for long walks around Wesley or at the State Botanical Garden. She loves getting to be an intercessor for students and seeking God’s heart for them. Her favorite question to ask God is how He sees the people she is praying for. Check out the Wesley blog to see what she and others are doing!
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mackenzie wurst
1ST YEAR | discipleship + encounter
Mackenzie is a born and raised Athens girl who graduated from UGA with a degree in Human Development and Family Science. She’s passionate about kids knowing their value and would be a camp counselor for the rest of her life if it were socially acceptable! If you need her you can probably find her watching wedding videos on YouTube while eating honey by the spoonful. She absolutely loves group hangs and she’s down to hang about 92% of the time! She’s excited to see how God captures our attention in new ways this year- it’s gonna be good!
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maddie campbell
1ST YEAR | discipleship
Maddie is a senior at UGA studying Economics. Some of her paper plate awards include “silent but deadly,” “hostess with the mostest,” and “most likely to know your enneagram before you even meet her.” She loves trying new foods, driving around and looking at cool houses, going on long walks, eating in bed, sunshine, reading a good book, and having conversations that actually matter. Her ideal night is either having a juicy debate or a dance party!! She puts Texas Pete hot sauce on her goldfish. People always tell her that she is a calming presence which is funny because inside, she’s actually always a mess. she’s super pumped to be a discipleship intern at Wesley this year!
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Olivia ellis
1ST Year | Connect
Olivia moved to Athens after graduating from the University of Arkansas. Being a military child, she has moved over 10 times, and absolutely loves the thrill of traveling and seeing new places. She loves people above all else- and appreciates the growth that she gains by hearing others’ stories and testimonies. She is passionate about seeing people come to know who God truly is and what He has for them! :)
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samantha richey
1ST YEAR | CONNECT + advancement
Sam is finishing up her degree in Communication Studies from UGA. She loves all things nature and her idea of a perfect day starts at 5:30am! Her heart burns to see each student at Wesley encounter God's unique love for themselves and she aches for justice and revival. When she's not at Wesley, catch her on a run at the Botans or reading adventure books by the pool!
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samuel adams
1ST YEAR | worship
Sam is a first year worship intern, a proud UGA alum, and semi-proud Florida grad student. He is a lover of all things sports, music, and people. He is very much interested in worship, both what it means biblically and the applicability to everyday life. He is also the reigning Rowdiest Fan Award winner at the Montezuma County, Colorado rodeo for two years running (and he dares you to take that title away from him).
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shelbi bryant
1ST YEAR | crosstrainers + missions
Shelbi is a first-year intern who recently graduated from UGA with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science. She is passionate about bad movies, good sushi, and quality time. She also loves exploring all the fun things that Athens offers, so if you're looking for food/activity suggestions or have suggestions for her, feel free to reach out. :)
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stephanie seda
1ST YEAR | crosstrainers + diversity outreach
Stephanie is a first year Crosstrainers and Diversity Outreach intern who loves the Lord (go Jesus). She graduated from UGA with two degrees in Early Childhood Education and absolutely loves the babies. She is often singing all of the time and will learn any dance with you ever.
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victoria williams
1ST YEAR | admin + encounter
Victoria graduated from the University of Georgia with a major in Accounting and a minor in Spanish. She loves Chick-Fil-A vanilla milkshakes, any kind of taco, traveling, baking and meeting new people. Her heart is for every student to know the goodness of God in all stages and seasons of life and to know that God loves blessing His children.