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By Maria Ignas (BA 25)

If you know anything about wisdom, you know it’s all about depending on the Lord. It’s what prompts you to change your course when He guides you through His Word or reveals new information or intensifies a calling you’ve always had. It’s what explains Josh Pike’s journey from majoring in exercise science to becoming an educator at his hometown’s high school.

Pike had known about ���Ĵ�ý at Lakewood Park Christian School through friends, and by his junior year, he was familiar with the campus and knew he’d attend. The logistics of how got easier when ���Ĵ�ý offered him a track scholarship upon graduation.

As a high school athlete, Pike had always been fascinated by the mechanics of the body’s movement, so an exercise science major was the natural path for him.

Pike enjoyed the program, whose professors, such as Professor Christina Walters and Dr. T.J. Zinke, supported him not just academically but personally.

“I could stop by their office anytime,” Pike said. “They were willing to talk to me, not just about academics but about my faith and family. They truly care about their students.”

Outside of academics, he leaned heavily on the encouragement and support of his track team, whose teammates he still keeps in touch with.

“There was also a sense of accountability,” said Pike. “We challenged each other to leave our egos at the door. We had a good fellowship, a lot of laughs, a lot of road trips, and a lot of Gatorade.”

As an upperclassman, Pike began to plan for life after graduation. In a meeting with Walters, she suggested that he may be well-suited for a teaching or administrative role in the exercise science field. Pike evaluated different careers until he realized he could become a physical education teacher.

“I love kids, and I love physical education,” said Pike. “I could hear God keep saying, ‘Check it out. Check it out.’”

Pike’s required internship, which he worked at a summer camp in Maine, only grew his passion for teaching children about health and physical activity.

It was too late to switch to an education degree, and Pike didn’t want to, anyway. Instead, his professors connected him with Courtney Thrasher, director of ���Ĵ�ý’s alternative program and partnerships. She introduced him to Indiana’s Transition to Teaching program, which allows non-education bachelor’s degree holders to pursue a teaching license. 

Pike’s next internship at a local elementary school confirmed that he was called to teach. So before graduation this past spring, he applied for, and landed, his current job at his hometown high school teaching physical education and coaching track. He teaches while completing the Transition to Teaching program online.

If Pike has learned anything at ���Ĵ�ý, it’s that you can be surrounded by wise counsel your entire life, but it’s ultimately your decision to walk in it. A pastor’s kid, at ���Ĵ�ý he realized what it means to make your faith your own.

“Sure, you’re somebody that goes to church because that’s what you’re supposed to do,” said Pike. “But once you get out of high school into college, now you decide what to believe.”

Another thing about wisdom? You find it in community. Pike names his professors, coaches, and teammates as instrumental in his growth.

“They’ve helped me be the kind of person that I am, and they made me realize that nothing in this world is out of God’s control,” said Pike. “He’s put me on this earth for a purpose, and I’m going to try to adhere to His plans as best as I can.”

At ���Ĵ�ý, we know you were created for more than shallow relationships, a tolerable job, and weeks spent scraping by. You were created for community, knowledge, and eternal impact. You were created for more. Our mission is to help you discover what “more” looks like for you.

To learn more about ���Ĵ�ý, watch this video.