“The Holy Spirit has shown up at a couple of places in my life, and very specifically, orchestrated the path. One of those was bringing me to Taylor.”
Hannah Wylie is a senior theatre/English education major graduating this semester. With her time at Taylor University coming to a close, all the memories and stories God has blessed her with have come swirling back as she prepares to give the commencement speech during graduation.
Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wylie grew accustomed to city life. She went to a Christian school throughout middle and high school. But when the coronavirus hit, her family moved to upstate New York to a small town in the Adirondack State Park.
Moving from a Christian bubble in the Bible Belt to a public school in the middle of New York was an adjustment that hit Wylie hard. Her junior and senior years of high school challenged her faith and planted many doubts deep into her mind, she said.
When the transition from high school to college came, Wylie was set on attending a Christian school in a big city. But through the help of a guidance counselor from North Carolina and nudges from the Holy Spirit, she made a visit to Taylor.
Wylie fell in love with all the quirky parts of Taylor that make the university unique, from the dorm events, to the campus culture and community, to the chapels.
However, committing to Taylor would still be a long and difficult journey. Many doors she wanted were closed, and many other doors that led to Taylor were opened.
“I came to Taylor, not really sure if I wanted to stay a Christian,” Wylie said.
During her first J-term, she went on the Israel trip. In her mind, this was her last-ditch effort to show up for God.
“It was the make-or-break time for me,” Wylie said. “I was bargaining with (God), which was super prideful.”
On that trip, many of the doubts and questions she had been wrestling with for years were answered tenfold. She fully committed to trusting God and proclaiming her trust through the doubts and hardships life brings.
“It hasn’t been smooth sailing since then, but my faith has definitely blossomed and been encouraged to take on new facets,” Wylie said.
Continuing on at Taylor, she got the chance to go to different countries like Rwanda, Mexico and even Thailand. Each of these trips brought her more lessons to learn and areas to grow in.
“Now I’m seriously considering going back to Thailand to teach as a missionary,” Wylie said.
She has learned that holding her faith with open hands is actually more trusting of God than clenching tight to who she sees God as. She has learned to take an open posture with God, knowing he is bigger than anyone can imagine.
Wylie’s experiences and story are depictive of the theme she will focus her commencement speech on: Already and Not Yet.
She and all the other graduating seniors have done so much thus far in their lives prior to and at Taylor, she said. And yet, there are still so many more ways that God wants to use them.
The journey she has been on has been hard and brought her through different valleys and mountain tops. With this speech, she hopes to encourage others as they step into the unknown, just as she was encouraged when she needed it most.
“I’m excited for what’s to come,” Wylie said. “I’m ready for it.”
