It’s hard for Kaleb Wyse ’10 to pinpoint exactly what drew him to 91����Ƶ.

Sure, he had plenty of connections to the school. His older sister and two cousins are 91����Ƶ alumni. A graduate of Iowa Mennonite School (now known as Hillcrest Academy), Wyse said he isn’t sure what it was about 91����Ƶ. He just liked it more than the other schools he visited.

“I felt more at home at 91����Ƶ than anywhere else,” he said. “It just felt like the right campus for me.”

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 “Wyse Guide” handle. The culinary entrepreneur majored in accounting and business administration at 91����Ƶ, where he gained the skills needed to build his brand. It’s also where he met his business partner and college friend, Joel Kratzer ’10.

The two 91����Ƶ grads launched their passion project in 2012. They maintained the website as a “night and weekend thing,” Wyse said, while working regular jobs. 91����Ƶ 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. “Then, when COVID hit,” he added, “everyone was looking for help with gardening, preserving, and cooking or baking at home.” 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����Ƶ 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 ’84, SEM ’90, as a pivotal experience. Packed into close quarters with other students he didn’t know well, Wyse found that the trip offered him a crash course in forming new connections. “That trip is something I think about a lot,” he said. 

91����Ƶ’s small class sizes helped him thrive as a student. “I could walk into my professors’ offices and talk to them instead of a teaching assistant,” Wyse said. “I’m someone who needs personal connection and having that at 91����Ƶ really supported me. I didn’t feel like I was just a number.”

Another advantage of attending 91����Ƶ 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����Ƶ. 

“The fact that someone believed it was important for me to receive a good education at a great school was both impactful and humbling,” Wyse said.

His debut cookbook, There’s 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’t the first time 91����Ƶ 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����Ƶ 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����Ƶ Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future 91����Ƶ students. Together, we can help write 91����Ƶ’s next chapter. 

Read the previous profiles in our A Royal Tale series:

Garrett Nyce ’25 had his heart set on attending 91����Ƶ. The Souderton, Pennsylvania, native was drawn to its small size and its focus on a “business for the common good” philosophy, which few if any other schools offered.

“It’s a triple bottom line of people, planet and profits,” the business analytics and economics major said. “Not how to make the most money, but how to create the best world for people.”

“That was something I didn’t think I would find at a lot of other schools,” he added.

But, as he applied to colleges, a small Christian university near his hometown offered him enough financial aid that “it would’ve cost almost nothing to go there.” As a self-described economics nerd, Nyce couldn’t ignore the tempting offer. “I’m so business-minded, it was hard to make that decision,” he said.  

91����Ƶ sprung into action to make his decision easier. The school awarded him the Horace & Elizabeth Longacre Business Scholarship — designated for full-time business students with a priority toward Mennonite students from Pennsylvania — and the choice became clear: he would become an 91����Ƶ Royal.

It’s scholarships like the one Nyce received and the financial aid packages given to 100 percent of undergraduate 91����Ƶ students that empower them to pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. 

Three years into his education at 91����Ƶ, Nyce couldn’t imagine himself anywhere else. The junior wields a mighty bat on the Royals baseball team, serves as a Royal Ambassador and is on the Leadership Council.

“91����Ƶ just feels like home,” he said. “It just feels right.”

Your generous support helps students like Nyce find their home on 91����Ƶ’s campus. Join us for the 8th annual Lov91����Ƶ Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future 91����Ƶ students. Let’s build 91����Ƶ “Stronger Together.”

Read the previous profiles in our Why they Lov91����Ƶ series: