Where Success Means More: A Legacy of Support

8/9/2023

Wisconsin Lutheran High School is the nation's oldest Lutheran high school, founded in 1903. To claim WLHS alumni in multiple generations is not unusual for many families. Today, more than 14,000 Wisco graduates are spread throughout the world. Students are backed by an army of parents, donors and friends who are all deeply invested and committed to their success. Take for instance two best friends from the Class of 2011 who created an endowed scholarship to give back to generations following them at WLHS.

Miles Schwichtenberg ('11) (pictured left) and DeShawn Wilbern ('11) (pictured right) met their freshman year at WLHS and quickly became best friends.

And, even though they went to different colleges and now live in different states, the two men stay connected regularly.

“In high school, we’d look at the people in the Wisco Hall of Fame and joke that we wanted to be honored together like that someday,” says Schwichtenberg. “Fast forward to 2019 and we were talking on the phone about how to support Wisco and the idea  of a scholarship came up.”

Throughout their time at WLHS, both Schwichtenberg and Wilbern were involved in a number of sports, clubs, and organizations. Both say their years at WLHS shaped the rest of their lives.

“My outlook on life is different because of Wisco,” says Schwichtenberg. “I learned God is in control. Being rooted in that belief has helped me throughout my life, especially when I’ve faced tough situations.”

Both men were part of Wisco mission trips that had a lasting impact. For Schwichtenberg, two trips to China led to a major in Mandarin during college.

Wilbern explains, “The mission trips showed me the importance of sharing God’s word and giving back. At Wisco, you see giving back all the time. There are former students who return to coach and help out in other ways. I knew I wanted to give back in some way and the scholarship made sense.”

Miles Schwichtenberg (’11)

Supply Chain Manager at Voss Industries
Bachelor's in Mandarin Chinese and Business Administration from Wisconsin Lutheran College
Master of Business Administration from Marquette University

DeShawn Wilbern (’11)

Staff Accountant at Illinois Cancer Care
Bachelor’s in Applied Science, Accounting and Finance from Eastern Illinois University
Master of Business Administration from Illinois State University

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