Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Alumni

When I went to college I was just happy to be there. I was the first in my family to go on to higher education and the matriculation itself had been my goal. As I look back now, I am deeply moved to see what God has allowed me to experience because I had the opportunity to be educated in a distinctly Christian environment.

I love the interaction with the leaders of tomorrow. I thank God every day that I have this amazing opportunity and I owe a debt of gratitude to those faculty members.

Photo of Harriet (Whittenberg) Rojas
Tell us about your family.

Husband – Ner Rojas Puican. We met in Peru, South America. We were both teaching at the Bible College training Peruvians for pastoral roles in the national church. Ner’s grandfather was the first convert in The Wesleyan Church and became the first Wesleyan pastor. Both of Ner’s parents were ordained ministers in The Wesleyan Church. His father is a former District Superintendent in The Wesleyan Church.

Daughter – Glenda. She is a sophomore at Indiana Wesleyan University majoring in Spanish and Media Communications with a minor in Intercultural Studies. She has a heart for cross-cultural ministry and feels called to missions.

Describe your current job and your journey to this job.

I Chair the Division of Business in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. My first full-time job out of college was in the finance area and I fell in love with that type of work. (My undergraduate degree is in Music Education and it has helped me understand and appreciate my husband’s dedication to his discipline. He is a classical guitarist and teaches as an adjunct professor at Indiana Wesleyan University.

Tell us about your church and community involvement.

My husband and I have been members of College Wesleyan Church in Marion where we are both active. Currently, I serve on the Local Board of Administration, Finance and Stewardship Committee, Personnel Committee, and volunteer once a month to run PowerPoint in the technology hub of the church. I am also active in the community by serving on the board of the local chapter of the American Red Cross, help out with the local Crisis Pregnancy organization, and am a member of the Lyric Club.

What do you love to do in your spare time?

One of my favorite activities now is to keep in touch with family, friends, and former students through Facebook (I currently have 1051 friends including many from my days in Bartlesville). One of my hobbies currently is to collect business cards. It is so interesting to see what everyone is up to these days. I also like to keep updated on technology. I love my iPhone! (I am NOT an Apple person, but I love that product.) Since half of my family lives in Peru (South America), I love to visit there. As a family, we are all looking forward to the birth of quadruplets. My niece is expecting four little bundles of joy. Check out her blog — http://four-by-two.blogspot.com/

What is the best memory you have of OKWU?

I was a member of the choir and have the best memories of those choir trips with Dr. Ernie Lewis and Caroline on Shasta. The choir members are all very special friends because we traveled all over the western half of the United States. I also sang in a trio there and enjoyed those weekend ministry opportunities.

You played powder puff didn’t you?
We played some flag football for P.E., but it was really before the days of powder puff football.
Who were your roommates?

Linda Rothfuss was one of my roommates.

Best friends?

All of the Mueller cousins, Sue (Long) Budensiek, DiAnn (Ware) Dunn, Paul & Martha (Friend) Elsberry, Barbara Pool, Keith and Ginny Rosentrater, Carol Palmer, Jon & Sandi (Knierim – sp?)Elsberry, were all great friends in college. For the most part, I still keep in touch with many of them. Martha is singing in the celestial choir and I still get choked up when I sing the second verse of “Holy, Holy, Holy” because that was her solo.

Favorite professors?

Naomi Mueller had a profound impact on me. Larry Hughes and Bob Rodgers (SP?) also were significant in my educational experience.

Any memorable chapel services?

Since I was the Student Chaplain one year, all those chapel services were memorable. The lasting impression I have is how quiet the students got as soon as the organ started playing and we started to prepare our hearts for the sacred time set apart in our day.

Any shenanigans you were a part of that you’d like to confess?

(Laughing) You could ask Lorna Griffin, Janice Campbell, Calene Pence, Sue Budensiek, DiAnn Dunn, or Sue Scamihorn. Most of my pranks were aimed their direction. I have recollections of filling one of their rooms with cardboard boxes to the point that they could barely open the door. Poor Sue Scamihorn got scared silly when I hid in her closet for 10 minutes and handed her a hanger on which to put her jacket when she opened the closet door. The night we played hide and seek in the Administration Building (or as we called it, the Ghost and Mr. Foster) was a lot of fun. We kept running into all kinds of people who we never thought would break a campus rule.

Anything else you’d like to share?

When I went to college I was just happy to be there. I was the first in my family to go on to higher education and the matriculation itself had been my goal. As I look back now, I am deeply moved to see what God has allowed me to experience because I had the opportunity to be educated in a distinctly Christian environment. When students ask me why I choose to teach business, especially when I could make a lot more money in the field of business, I answer without hesitation. I teach because I want to be the Naomi Mueller, Larry Hughes, Bob Rodgers, Paul Faulkenberry, or Ernie Lewis, to this generation of college students. I love the interaction with the leaders of tomorrow. I thank God every day that I have this amazing opportunity and I owe a debt of gratitude to those faculty members from BWC days that poured themselves into students like me. It’s my turn now, and I’m loving every minute!