Abby Schultz ‘16
Abby graduated from Grace Christian University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Religious Education in Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration, Sports Management. She then received her Masters of Education in Sports Leadership from Dordt in 2018. Abby enjoys the fact that she gets to walk alongside 18-22 year old women in their walk with Christ. “Our program focuses on getting out of your comfort zone & going on an upward trajectory towards Christ. We are intentional about our relationships with our players & I love going to work every day. Coaching is so much more than just the game of basketball.”
Abby is currently the Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Indiana Wesleyan University, a role that she took in June of 2020, and lives in Marion, Indiana. Prior to IWU, Abby was the Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach/HHP Instructor at Dordt University. “I left a great program at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. During my time at Dordt, we turned around a program & it was a joy to be there every step of the way.” Abby remarks about how they took a program that had one winning season & turned it into a national tournament team in back to back years. “When IWU reached out to me, this was an opportunity for me to move back closer to family & friends and continue to coach at an amazing Christian institution”, she says.
During her time at Grace, Abby played basketball and volleyball. Abby says, “One of the most memorable experiences was all the road trips with my teams & winning the program’s first regional title & finishing in the Final 4 at the national tournament (basketball).”
When asked about a class that she took at Grace that most prepared her for her career so far, Abby replied, “Crazy enough, my senior year I took a class with Dr. Loverin “The Theology of Karl Barth”. That ended up being my favorite class that I took during my time at Grace.” Abby goes on to say that class helped her articulate that, no matter where she goes, what occupation she holds, or what God calls her to do, she can be a light for Christ. “I can do the work of Christ in any occupation. We learned that to love God is to love man & to love man is to love God; likewise to serve God is to serve man & to serve man is to serve God. This was influential in the way that I coach.”
Referring to a particularly inspiring faculty member during her time at Grace, Abby recalls Dr. Matt DeYoung, Associate Professor and Dean for the School of Business. “He was an incredible God-fearing man who sought out the interest of his students. He intentionally got to know his students for who they are and supported us in life outside of the classroom.” Abby also states, “When I started teaching classes last year, I began modeling my teaching approach after him. While I was taking his classes, his daughter was fighting leukemia & the battle was getting hard. The way that he came in every day & let God’s voice be the story of Lola was incredible.”
As for how Grace overall made a significant impact on her life, Abby replied, “Grace impacted my life & career significantly. This was the starting point for my career. Grace gave me a number of opportunities to grow professionally throughout my time. Anything from working athletic events, being an RA on campus, and working in the Enrollment office truly helped me develop into where I am today.” She then goes on to state, “Throughout my classwork, I dug deeper into my faith & learned how to serve God fully. Because of my experiences at Grace, I have been blessed with opportunities to not only coach college basketball, but to walk alongside athletes in their spiritual walk.”
Although Abby hasn’t been able to be directly involved with alumni on campus activities (she’s lived in 3 different states pursuing my career since graduation), she remains connected through social media and has been able to attend one of the past alumni games. “Being a coach is so much more than the Xs & Os. Our main focus as coaches at IWU is discipleship. Our program is centered around Christ & I love going into work every day and doing life with our girls”, said Abby. She is thankful for her athletic experiences at Grace which have propelled her into the career she now holds. In short, she says, “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the coaches that have impacted my life.”
By Ami Walker | Alumni Relations Department
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