Hailing from Dallas, Andrew Dever ’25’s path to Wabash looked a little different than other students. The history and Spanish double major initially came here to continue his athletic career but found out there was a lot more to Wabash than just sports.
“I was originally recruited to play soccer by Head Soccer Coach Chris Keller, and actually also to play basketball by Head Basketball Coach Kyle Brumett,” said Dever. “ I was also attracted to the alumni network and small school environment. So, I took my first visit up here right out of the initial COVID pandemic. And then from there, I fell in love with this place and arrived as a freshman ready to take on college. Now four years later, I’m looking at the other side.”
And while Dever originally came here to pursue both soccer and basketball, he quickly discovered other groups on campus that he wanted to be a part of. And while he joined more clubs and more groups, he eventually had to come to a compromise with athletics.
“There’s just so many other things that I could do on campus, and other talents that I had besides athletics,” said Dever. “And continuing with two sports is going to really limit my potential to explore professional programs, clubs, extracurriculars, fraternities and more. So, it ended up being a really beneficial decision to step back from basketball.”
He would go on to make a name for himself in several other groups around campus. These include being an editor for The Bachelor, president of the Pre-Law Society, part of the Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse (WDPD) program, a goalie on the soccer team and part of the Wabash Acts Responsibly (WAR) Council. But one of the most important impacts came after he joined the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.
“We had a brother who had multiple sclerosis (MS),” said Dever. “And as philanthropy chairman, we had a campaign to help raise awareness about that. We ended up going to Indianapolis and helping the national walk MS foundation run their regional Midwest event in Indianapolis. And I think for me, that showed how Wabash guys take that situation, and can turn it into a situation for positive change. We raised about $5,000 and a lot of that was just thanks to the generosity of students, faculty, staff and the community.”
Outside of his time as a brother of Theta Delta Chi, Dever has been very active in pursuing law. He hones his skills through his contributions to the Pre-Law Society, and his impressive tenures on Moot Court. He hopes these experiences will lead him on to a successful legal career. But it is more than his accomplishments that set him apart. It is also how he has been remembered around campus.
“Andrew is a deeply inquisitive thinker,” said Spanish Professor Mathew Greenhalgh. “He is driven to excel at all of his academic pursuits. In Spanish, I have witnessed his development from the 200-level as a freshman to receiving distinction on comps as a senior about to graduate. I hope students will follow Andrew’s example and engage more in the classroom and socially on campus.”
The door on Dever’s time at Wabash is coming to a close, but his impact has not gone unnoticed. As he reflects on the multitude of experiences that have shaped him into the man he has become, Dever will embark into the pursuit of law as he applies to law schools. However, he will be keeping the memories and lessons he made starting as a freshman coming from across the country close to his heart.