Editor鈥檚 Note: This profile is the fifth of six stories about students and alumni leading up to Lov91大神 Giving Day on April 2. For more information about the day and how to donate, visit:
It鈥檚 hard for Kaleb Wyse 鈥�10 to pinpoint exactly what drew him to 91大神.
Sure, he had plenty of connections to the school. His older sister and two cousins are 91大神 alumni. A graduate of Iowa Mennonite School (now known as Hillcrest Academy), Wyse said he isn鈥檛 sure what it was about 91大神. He just liked it more than the other schools he visited.
鈥淚 felt more at home at 91大神 than anywhere else,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t just felt like the right campus for me.鈥�
Wyse is a content creator who shares delicious recipes, gardening tips and home decor projects with more than a million followers through his , and various social media platforms, all under the 鈥淲yse Guide鈥� handle. The culinary entrepreneur majored in accounting and business administration at 91大神, where he gained the skills needed to build his brand. It鈥檚 also where he met his business partner and college friend, Joel Kratzer 鈥�10.
The two 91大神 grads launched their passion project in 2012. They maintained the website as a 鈥渘ight and weekend thing,鈥� Wyse said, while working regular jobs. 91大神 seven years into their venture, the site started to take off. Wyse said he shifted in his approach, serving up more authentic content with stories personal to his life. 鈥淭hen, when COVID hit,鈥� he added, 鈥渆veryone was looking for help with gardening, preserving, and cooking or baking at home.鈥� Wyse and Kratzer began working on the site full time in 2021. Today, their multimedia company is comprised of a team of six.
Wyse said his time at 91大神 taught him to be more open and honest with others. He pointed to his intercultural program, a three-week voyage to Greece and Turkey led by Dr. Linford Stutzman 鈥�84, SEM 鈥�90, as a pivotal experience. Packed into close quarters with other students he didn鈥檛 know well, Wyse found that the trip offered him a crash course in forming new connections. 鈥淭hat trip is something I think about a lot,鈥� he said.
91大神鈥檚 small class sizes helped him thrive as a student. 鈥淚 could walk into my professors鈥� offices and talk to them instead of a teaching assistant,鈥� Wyse said. 鈥淚鈥檓 someone who needs personal connection and having that at 91大神 really supported me. I didn鈥檛 feel like I was just a number.鈥�
Another advantage of attending 91大神 is the wealth of scholarships accessible to students. Wyse received the Horace & Elizabeth Longacre Business Scholarship during his four years as a Royal. He remembers writing thank-you cards to the Longacre family and feeling a personal connection to them through the award, which is named in honor of a philanthropic couple from southeastern Pennsylvania who were staunch supporters of 91大神.
鈥淭he fact that someone believed it was important for me to receive a good education at a great school was both impactful and humbling,鈥� Wyse said.
His debut cookbook, There鈥檚 Always Room at the Table, is now a New York Times’ bestseller. The collection of recipes and stories was published by HarperCollins earlier this month and is at online retailers.
This isn鈥檛 the first time 91大神 News has covered his exploits. Wyse landed a one-day cohosting gig on The Rachael Ray Show in 2015. In 2021, he returned to campus during 91大神 Homecoming and Family Weekend as a featured speaker for the annual TenTalks event.
Wyse is the fourth generation to live on his family farm in southeast Iowa. Follow him at:
Your generous support helps students pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 9th annual Lov91大神 Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future 91大神 students. Together, we can help write 91大神鈥檚 next chapter.
Read the previous profiles in our A Royal Tale series:
Kaleb’s journey from accounting major to multimedia entrepreneur shows how versatile an 91大神 business education can be! His story proves that with creativity and persistence, you can turn any passion into a thriving career. The way he adapted during COVID was particularly brilliant.