Embracing Leadership: Alumna Deanna Campbell ('21) Returns to Wisco
WLHS students gathered for the first morning assembly of the year centered on “Embracing Leadership” and the call to serve as Christian leaders wherever God places us. Following a devotion on servant leadership by Campus Pastor Phil Huebner ('99), a WLHS senior shared how personal loss and difficult experiences have strengthened her faith and helped shape her into a leader, reminding classmates that leadership is not about having all the answers, but trusting God through challenges and using those experiences to encourage others.
The guest speaker was Deanna A. Campbell, SSgt, USAF (’21), Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight Chief with the Altus Operational Medical Readiness Squadron at Altus AFB, Oklahoma.
Campbell candidly shared that she did not have her future mapped out while at Wisco and never pictured herself as a natural leader. After joining the Air Force following graduation, however, she repeatedly found herself being asked to lead—often before she felt ready. She told students that teachers, coaches, and military supervisors saw leadership potential in her before she recognized it herself, and she encouraged them not to run from the opportunities God places in front of them.
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Campbell also shared stories from her deployment to Abu Dhabi, where her bioenvironmental engineering work helped protect military personnel from potentially dangerous exposures while she also supported fellow service members through a stressful deployment environment. Throughout the conversation, she emphasized the importance of openly living her Christian faith, offering to pray with others and being ready to explain the hope behind what she believes.
Her advice to students was especially simple and relatable: it’s okay not to have everything figured out. There will be times when the next step is unknown, and those are often the moments when faith becomes most important.
Watch the full morning assembly here.
