The 2017-2018 school year has brought so many new things to the Virginia Wesleyan campus and one of the greatest are the new little Marlins who have become part of the Marlin family. Within the 2017 school year many of the faculty and staff members have brought new baby Marlins to the Virginia Wesleyan family and the university is beyond thrilled to meet them all.
Ranging from professors to coaches to directors, many members of the Virginia Wesleyan staff have new babies that have done nothing but brighten up their worlds and become part of a family they will have forever.
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Jason Seward and his wife have just adopted a newborn boy, whom they named Colton James. Jason Seward and his wife, softball alum Janet Seward, are so very excited to have added baby Colton to not only their family, but the Virginia Wesleyan family as well. Being a parent is a new experience for Jason and his wife but they are loving every moment of it, to include the early mornings. “The early morning feeding sessions are my favorite. I usually take the 4:30 a.m. feeding time and that’s me and him time where we stay up and watch SportsCenter and I get to just connect with him on that level,” Seward said.
The staff that surrounds Jason Seward everyday are excited as well to have the new Marlin added to the family. Virginia Wesleyan has always strived to make a family atmosphere for everyone on campus, “I am excited to raise Colton with this Wesleyan family that I have,” Seward said.
Many of the athletic coaches have also had additions to their families and Virginia Wesleyan’s as well. Coach Mills, head coach for men’s soccer, has just added to the Marlins family along with Stephany Dunmyer, head coach for women’s basketball.
Coach Dunmyer just added baby Fletcher to her family and is still in awe. “He is a little miracle every time I look at him. He is the perfect addition to our family, and the first night in the hospital I remember just looking at him realizing what that he is the best thing I have ever been a part of and it makes you see the bigger picture of life and what it all means,” Dunmyer said.
The athletic department have done so much to help Dunmyer and Mills as they adjust to parenthood, and have really shown what being part of the Virginia Wesleyan family means. “Raising a child on a college campus is one of the coolest experiences I think. It’s an instant support system we have,” Dunmyer said, and all the new baby Marlins have a supporting family that they have not even got to meet yet which makes this so much more exciting for the staff and faculty.
Many other parts of the faculty and staff have included new marlins to the family as well, to include Professor Jeffrey Toussaint of Sociology and Criminology and Professor Kelly Holzer of Women and Gender Studies. Toussaint has added a new baby girl to the Marlin family named Shiloh Eden Toussaint. Professor Toussaint is a new professor here at Wesleyan and is just as excited to have his daughter part of the Wesleyan community. “We have been excited to share our news with VWU and we look forward to seeing her apart of future family orientated events at VWU.” Toussaint said.
These baby Marlins have brought so much happiness and joy amongst our Virginia Wesleyan staff and their families as they have been able to witness first hand what the joy of having a child is about. “I have never experienced anything that is immediate change before, and as soon as I held Colton it was instant change on my life. I want to do everything possible to make sure that he has everything possible and every opportunity in this life. Everything I do revolves around him and my wife now, and if I have to sacrifice everything for them, I will,” Jason Seward said about the outlook he has after receiving baby Colton.
So many new baby Marlins have been added to the Wesleyan family from the beginning of 2017, with Kate Griffin adding her addition at the end of the Spring 2017 semester to the most recent birth of Professor Toussaint’s baby Shiloh Eden on October 6 and with all the little Marlins that were born in between. The Marlin community is so excited to have these new family members added to the Wesleyan community and watch them grow as well. The gift of life is for all to appreciate and gives a real picture of what family is. “She is the greatest blessing of my life, teaching me so much about love, patience, and humility,” Toussaint said.
Briana Clarkson
bnclarkson@vwu.edu
