Open Doors for Everyone: Kathryn Ault's Legacy of Welcome

As part of A Legacy of Welcome: The Campaign for Wesley Foundation, we are honored to share the stories of individuals whose generosity is shaping the future of Wesley Foundation at Purdue through the new Wesley Student Center. For Kathryn Ault, a 2025 Purdue graduate and Wesley alumna, that story began during her first semester on campus. While searching for an inclusive faith community, she was drawn to the Black Lives Matter signs, Pride flags, and other symbols of solidarity displayed outside Wesley's State Street building. Inside, she found a community that welcomed her, challenged her, and ultimately helped shape the person she would become.

“I come from a fairly religious background and went to church my whole childhood into adulthood,” Kathryn says. “As I was struggling in my freshman year to adjust to living alone and making friends, I knew that Wesley was the community that could not only help me build those connections, but also help me grow. Over my four years, Wesley really helped put me through Purdue and helped me not just survive, but thrive.”

Throughout her four years at Wesley, Kathryn served as Service Chair, Worship Chair, Wesley Campus Ministry President, a student representative on the Board of Directors, and helped organize Wesley's first March for Empathy. As a member of the student board, Kathryn also played a role in shaping Wesley's future. When Purdue approached the ministry about purchasing its State Street property, the Board of Directors invited students into the discernment process. Again and again, their discussions returned to accessibility and whether the building on State Street embodied Wesley's commitment to "Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors."

“The student board voted almost unanimously to move, and a big reason was that our building was not accessible,” Kathryn says. “No matter where you entered, you immediately had to go up or down stairs. The student board was really focused on accessibility because it is such a big part of Wesley. We believe in ‘open hearts, open minds, and open doors,’ so it was important that Wesley’s doors were truly open to everyone.”

After the decision to build a new building was made, Kathryn continued her

involvement as a member of the campaign committee. In that role, she helped build support for the new Wesley Student Center and shape the vision for a facility that would be accessible, sustainable, and energy efficient. The generosity of the Wesley community throughout the campaign inspired Kathryn to make a gift of her own.

“It was important for me to budget for a gift to Wesley, especially now that I’m no longer serving with my time and talents in the same way,” Kathryn shares. “One thing I’m excited about in the new building is the kitchen. Food has always been such a central part of Wesley and its ministries, so my gift is earmarked for a new dishwasher. We make a lot of dishes at Wesley, so having a new one will be great.”

Today, Kathryn is pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she studies plastic waste and sustainable recycling systems. While sustainability has been important to her since a young age, she credits Wesley with helping her connect that passion to her faith. Service projects such as Earth Day cleanups and Detrash the Wabash allowed her to see the effects of pollution firsthand and reinforced her desire to pursue a career focused on environmental sustainability.

“Wesley helped me realize that I wanted to go into research and work on actually fixing this problem, which is what I’m doing now,” Kathryn says. “I really do think this is where my gifts and talents lie, and I feel confident in that because Wesley gave me the opportunity to explore those interests. I knew academically I would succeed, but a lot of my determination comes from a calling to care for the earth and be environmentally sustainable. Wesley helped me connect that calling to my faith.”

As Wesley prepares for its next chapter, Kathryn sees the new Wesley Student Center as an investment in future students who are searching for the same sense of belonging she found. Designed with accessibility and sustainability in mind, the new building will help Wesley welcome students, support meaningful ministry, and serve the Purdue community for generations to come. 

“This building is going to allow Wesley to stay around for another hundred years.

The fact that we're investing in it now means it will be able to outlive us and continue on,” Kathryn says. “Most importantly, we can spend less time worrying about the facility itself and more time investing in students and the programs we run. Because it's never really about the building. It's about the people in the building.”

To join Kathryn in building a lasting legacy of welcome for Wesley students, we invite you to make a gift or pledge to A Legacy of Welcome: The Campaign for Wesley Foundation today.