Ryan Wilson

Director of Community Life

Ryan Wilson came to Messiah College in the summer of 2002 and has been serving as a Student Development professional for nearly five years. He spent his first three years with the college as a Residence Director at the Grantham Campus, and came to MCPC as Director of Community Life in 2006. Ryan came to Pennsylvania from Minnesota, where he completed his B.A. in Psychology at NorthCentral University.

His own college experience took place in the urban neighborhoods of Minneapolis, which is where he was first introduced to the dynamics and circumstances that govern the lives of city residents. From that experience, Ryan wanted to help introduce students to the same kind of reality that was so formative for his own life. He says, "Working at MCPC is about creating a seamless education. In-class content and outside-of-class play are beautifully mixed to encourage a unique style of learning." Ryan is currently working on his Counseling Psychology Ed.M. at Temple University and plans to work with underserved populations in the urban environment.

Ryan originally comes from the state of Colorado and is proud to consider himself a Westerner. Though he is now a city dweller, Ryan has a connection with the remote places of the world where he can hike, backpack, explore and throw a frisbee. He attends a wonderful church in the city, Spirit and Truth Fellowship, and participates in the music worship team by playing drums and percussion.

As Director of Community Life, Ryan is responsible for coordinating many of the programs at the Philadelphia Campus. He works with the student leaders to create events and initiatives that will provide students with an authentic Philadelphia experience. He also instructs the Urban Cross-Cultural Course meant for those students who are utilizing their semester in Philadelphia to meet their cross-cultural requirement. This course concentrates on the many urban dynamics present in North Philadelphia, as well as other comparable cities within the United States.