Injuries are never fun, but Shanya Murape ’26 finds the silver linings in her knee injuries from flag football.
“My sophomore year, after being injured, I needed something else to do,” she said.
She took a media production class, then another. Because she loves capturing sports, she added a Communication minor to her Exercise Science major.
She uses those same skills in media internships with Campus Ministry.
Shanya has been involved with Campus Ministry since the first day she came to KWU. She started as a ministry intern.
“What Pastor Scott (Jagodzinkse) has me doing most of the time, he has me come out to help with praying with different people,” she said.
She often talks about her involvement with Kansas Wesleyan and how it has connected with her faith.
“I feel like the school has intersected with my faith in a good way — but in a revealing way,” Murape said. “It made me question, how Christian am I, how much do I believe without my parents saying, ‘Oh, you have to go to church, you have to come with us and do this’?”
Working with Campus Ministry piques her interest and lets her grow her faith, she said.
“It’s like slow baby steps, seeing the whole picture. Through these four years, I can honestly say it has changed from my parents being the one with the voice to I now know I am the one with the voice, when it comes to faith,” she said.
As a media intern, Murape takes photos at Campus Ministry events and posts them on social media. If Jagodzinske needs a PowerPoint, he gives Murape a theme and has her put it together.
As a ministry intern, she regularly talks to athletes about their faith.
“A small thing we’ve done at practice is just having a simple grace, praying at the start of practice, or the start of games, just a small little thing for bringing us to this day,” she said.
As a sophomore and junior, she used podcasting as a way to connect with athletes about their faith.
“I just love talking about my faith,” Murape said.
She grew up playing sports in Toronto, Canada, but flag football is her priority.
She’s been a star player here as quarterback on defense, linebacker and sometimes screener, “a little bit of everything,” she said. Earlier this year, she tore her ACL for the second time and is sidelined again.
“Having this setback is fine,” she said. “I always think of it as God’s plan. He always has something in mind for me. This is my time to take a break.”
After she graduates in May, she plans to stay in Salina. She’d like to get into assistant coaching — flag football, of course.
Story by Jean Kozubowski
