Helping others is a central theme for Josalyn Wipf ’25 ’27, not only in her Hesston Experience, but how she approaches life.
A sophomore aviation student, Wipf’s route to Hesston was not a direct path. She decided two weeks before her college classes began that her plan to pursue elementary education in South Dakota was not for her. She opted for a gap year to work and in the process discovered a new passion.
“One week at church, a missionary aviation pilot and mechanic and his wife came and shared stories about people they had the chance to help and how rewarding mission aviation was,” she shares. “These inspiring stories made me realize that aviation, specifically facets of aviation where helping people is the goal, was something I wanted to pursue.”
Hesston’s small size and the financial support offered to students were great reasons for Wipf to head south.
“The aviation instructors care about students, not just as future pilots, but also as people,” she explains. “Figuring out a student’s learning style is something I see the Hesston College Aviation program instructors striving for.”
Wipf also is doing her best to assist the Hesston community. Last year she helped build Hesston’s newly formed Student Government Association — not because it was her passion, but because it was the desire of a friend whom she wanted to help.
She also helped launch the prayer room on campus where students can spend time with God, be encouraged by others and find rest.
“True rest…it’s found in time spent with Jesus,” says Wipf. “It’s been really beautiful to see how the Lord is working in people’s hearts.”
She says each day has been an opportunity to learn something new and challenge her way of thinking.
“Learning humility and how to ask questions to seek to understand, not just to prove I’m right, has been a big part of my Hesston experience, both in and out of the classroom,” she admits.
After graduation, Wipf hopes to be a flight instructor so she can help people learn how to fly and experience with them the joys of flying.
“Long term, my dream aviation job would be to be a missionary pilot in another country,” she says. “I would like to use aviation in such a way that helping people and showing them love and care is the goal, not just making money.”
Did you know?
Wipf is also a member of the disc golf club. While she had no experience and the thought of throwing plastic circles seemed odd to her, she joined to help out her friends who shared they needed another female on the team. Now she views it as a rewarding experience. And she’s an All-American, tying for eighth in the women’s singles competition at the College Disc Golf National Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C., in early April.