Doug Bender
March 31, 2023 | 2 minute read
From the beginning, I Am Second has told the stories of athletes who play to win and Live Second. This is especially evident in our Team Second Ambassador program. These selected student-athletes represent I Am Second on 25 campuses and sport the Live Second mantra.
A handful of our Team Second members are graduating this year and will continue following God’s plan for their lives. This past year, they used the I Am Second platform to share their hope and faith in Jesus with those on their team and campus. They mentored other athletes, volunteered through campus ministries and so much more. (Scroll down to see Brooke Fagan's influence on her team, who all wore specially made “I Am Second” warm-up jerseys to represent how God had changed their lives.)
Meet some of the seniors and find out where they are headed next:
Ashley Trierweiler plays softball and will be graduating this spring from Santa Clara University. She is known for having an “eye-popping” performance. Her .500 batting average ranked her 5th in the NCAA. She plans on attending graduate school this fall.
Ashlyn Laclair is graduating from the University of Kentucky. Whether on social media or in person, she is as quick to share her passion for gymnastics and her faith in God. She, too, plans on attending graduate school in the fall.
Colin Brubaker pitched for Lancaster Bible College. He is graduating this spring and will continue sharing the good news of Jesus as he enters into full-time ministry as a youth pastor.
Jack Blyth is graduating this summer with a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee, Martin, where he also ran cross country. He desires to coach and continue to find ways to represent Jesus.
Raina Albores is graduating from the University of Kentucky, where she was named WCGA All-America Scholar-Athlete Team. She represented her school as a gymnast and studied Kinesiology.
Tay Collum will graduate from the University of Southern Mississippi this spring but will return to school in the fall to play her last season of eligibility on the soccer team. She will then go to pharmacy school.
Ashley Prange played third base on the softball team at the University of Alabama where she will graduate with a major in Human Environmental Sciences. She is still seeking God’s plan for her next step.
We want to congratulate these exceptional Team Second Ambassadors for all of their leadership – on and off the fields or courts.
Are you interested in joining the Team Second Ambassador program for Fall 2023 - Spring 2024? As a part of the program, we will train you to confidently share the gospel; provide you with gear, tools and best practices for representing I Am Second; and foster ongoing community, guidance and encouragement with the team for impacting your campus.
If so, then fill out the application to tell us a little bit about yourself and why you would like to represent I Am Second on your campus! (Hurry, the deadline ends April 30.)
Doug Bender is an I Am Second writer and small groups coach. He developed many of the small group tools found at iamsecond.com and has coached churches, organizations, and individuals to use I Am Second groups to share the message of Jesus with their friends and family. He also works with I Am Second's parent organization, e3 Partners, as a church planter and pastor in countries such as Ethiopia, Colombia, and the US. Doug and his wife, Catherine, have four children: Bethany, Samuel, Isabella, and Jesse.
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