September 2025

 

September 2025

It’s hard to believe, but this year marks the tenth class of Winston-Salem Fellows! We can’t wait for you to meet them. The first month has already been full and exciting, and we can’t wait to share some highlights with you. Plus, if you read all the way to the end, you’ll get a special update on what the very first class of Winston-Salem Fellows is up to today!

Video Loading

   For the past year, we’ve been dreaming about creating a new video to share the Fellows’ stories and highlight the impact of this program. Thanks to Jed’s help, that dream is becoming a reality and we can’t wait to share the finished product with you!

Annual Alumni Labor Day Cookout 

We kicked off the year with our annual Alumni Labor Day Cookout and it may have been the best weather we’ve ever had for this event! On Day One, we were grateful to welcome the new class of Fellows into the wider Fellows community.

Winston-Salem Fellows class of 2026

We’re so excited for you to meet Alana, Holden, William, and Ellen! Each of them brings unique gifts and talents to the program, and we can’t wait to see how their year unfolds.. 

Professional Development

We were fortunate to spend a day in training with Anne Powers, who has graciously led us for the past several years and it’s always something we look forward to. This year, we were also joined by The Greensboro Fellows, which made the day an even greater treat. And of course, “Lego Man” once again proved to be a surprisingly fun (and challenging!) way to practice teamwork and communication.

Leader Lunch

We had the honor of kicking off our first Leader Lunch of the year with Tammy Priest. Her story is truly unique, and it was inspiring to hear the many ways God continues to shape it.

In addition, we learned from Rev. Ginny Tobiassen about Moravian history and spent a day at the Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro. We were so engaged in these experiences that we completely forgot to take photos!

Round Table

Our alumni have jumped at the chance to welcome the new class of Fellows and so far, every Round Table host has been an alum! It’s wonderful to see the Fellows community coming together to support one another. Huge thanks to Sarah and Louise, Madison and Jessie, the Jacobs, and Will for leading the way!

Wedding

What an absolute joy it was to see Mallory (Class of 21-22) marry her beloved Caleb! This long-awaited day was filled with beauty, laughter, and happy tears.

Fall Advance

Every year, we sneak away at the start of fall to begin unpacking our stories. We reflect on the lies we’ve believed and how those experiences have shaped us, which can be challenging. Luckily, we balance the hard work with adventure, getting a little lost on hikes, exploring a corn maze, and enjoying lots of freshly baked cookies.

There's something very refreshing about having the chance to play like kids again. If anyone was wondering, the girls did dominate the corn maze this year!

Fresh homemade ice cream topped off our day! 

Where are they now? 

As we're celebrating the tenth class of Winston-Salem Fellows we thought it would be fun to check-in with alumni and see what they're up to now. Each month we will feature a different class and we're starting off with the inaugural class of 2016-2017. 

Campbell Anderson 

I am currently the east coast territory manager at PepsiCo. My family and I live in Winston and are very involved with our church, Two Cities. We have two beautiful boys, Charles (3) and William (1). The Lord has been so gracious and faithful!

Jessica Kok

After my fellows year, I earned an MA in Cultural Heritage and Museum
Studies from the University of East Anglia in the UK. I then returned
to my hometown of Chicago and have spent the past few years working in
component relations at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban
Habitat, the world’s leading association focused on urban density and
the sustainable future of cities. The job has taken me to cities
around the world, from Amsterdam to Singapore. Outside of work, I stay
grounded through my faith community, cycling, and rowing. I live with
my cousin and my cat Ceilia in the beautiful neighborhood of Wicker
Park.

Dakota Lee

After my time in Winston-Salem, I moved to Orlando, FL for graduate school at Reformed Theological Seminary to complete my Masters in Counseling. I currently work in a private practice clinic specializing in abuse, addictions, and grief. I also work for The Rest Initiative, a non-profit group based out of Atlanta that partners with different institutions and ministries (such as The Fellows Initiative!) to provide care for their leadership and staff. In 2024, I married my wonderful wife, Elizabeth, who also works in healthcare as a pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Our hope is to move back to Winston-Salem in coming years.

Alex Loy

I can’t believe how quickly time has flown since our Fellows year. After completing the program, I made the move to Nashville, TN, and I must have liked it, because I bought a condo here 3 years ago and have made it really official (photo included of the day I closed)! 

Since Fellows, I’ve built my career through a couple of sales roles in the beverage and tech industries before finding my path in international logistics. What started as a new opportunity has grown into a 5-year career, and I’m now a Sales Executive with C.H. Robinson Global Forwarding. I partner with manufacturing companies across the Southeast to support their ocean and air freight import/export needs. (If you’ve ever seen a container ship pulling into a U.S. port, that’s what I help make happen!)

Outside of work, I love spending time with the best friends and family (also included in photos). My favorite role to date is being “Auntie Al” to two perfect nieces and a nephew on the way! In my free time I love to travel to new places domestically and abroad, most recently Ireland & the New York Finger Lakes Region! I'll always hold our Fellows trip to The Holy Land close to my heart! 

Christina Sandstedt

I'm an active-duty Coast Guard officer, currently serving as a Legislative Fellow for a U.S. Senator. I live in Washington, D.C. and enjoy my church community, visiting my nieces and nephew, and running on the National Mall. I joined the Coast Guard shortly after completing my fellows year in Winston-Salem, and have served aboard three Coast Guard cutters on the west coast and overseas. I was pleased to see my sister do the Winston-Salem Fellows program four years after me!

Reese and Julia Schaffner

Reese and I got married in 2019 and shortly after moved to Peru to teach English. We relocated to Oregon in 2020 where Reese became a sheriff’s deputy and I got my MBA in Nonprofit Management. We’ve enjoyed hosting kids in our home through respite care and Safe Families while also growing our own family. In 2024 our son James went to be with Jesus and our daughter Hallie joined our family in May 2025. We are grateful for all God has done in our lives; we love being part of our church in Portland, traveling abroad, and adventuring in the northwest with our daughter! 

Camille Stogner

I live in Greensboro where I make it a goal to attend Barre Class 3x week. I often volunteer at Carolina Theatre of GSO and the local SPCA. I have a cat named Mimsy and work full time at Authoracare as a home hospice RN.

Will Troxler

My wife, Mary Page and I live in Black Mountain, NC. We work at Camp Merri-Mac, a girls summer camp and have two kids, Annie Mac and Charlie. We love our church community, traveling and love to bike together!

Recruiting

As we celebrate ten classes of Winston-Salem Fellows, we can’t help but be excited for the next ten! Although the new year has just begun, we are already accepting applications for 2026–2027. Applicants can apply directly through our website.

Below, alumni AJ Britton (not pictured: his wife Bailey and son Bear) are recruiting at Appalachian State!