Two Bluffton University students are exploring possible future careers this summer with the help of $1,500 Schultz Discovery Grants awarded through the university.

Kayla Craig, a sophomore from Tallmadge, Ohio, majoring in psychology and social work, is spending four weeks gathering experiences in those fields at mental health agencies and other sites, primarily in the Akron area.

The grant “will allow me to explore my strengths and callings to better prepare myself to serve others,” Craig says. “Service to others is a strong value of the Mennonite faith and Bluffton University, as well as an important factor in religious and spiritual growth. Bettering my understanding of others, my majors and myself will all ultimately help me on my vocational and theological journey.”

Chay Reigle, a junior from Ada, Ohio, majoring in public relations, is using his grant to do public relations work for TLU Rescue, a nonprofit, no-kill shelter for dogs and cats in Bluffton.

Among his responsibilities are revamping the shelter’s website, starting and writing a newsletter, establishing contacts, arranging for media coverage and constructing a volunteering and fundraising campaign. “And, of course, putting in some hours and volunteering at the shelter myself,” adds Reigle, who is also part of a Bluffton contingent that will produce a daily newsletter at the Mennonite USA convention July 1-6 in Phoenix, Ariz.

This is the 10th year that Summer Discovery Grants have been available to students interested in designing an experience that allows them to creatively explore connections between their faith journeys and vocational discernment. Funding is through the Karl Schultz Discovery Funds, an endowment established through the gift of Bluffton alumnus Karl Schultz.