NGU Legacy

With more than 24,000 alumni making an impact across the United States and around the world, North Greenville University is equipping students to be transformational leaders for church and society.

Whether it’s in the operating room, on the mission field, in the board room, or in the classroom, our graduates are using their talents to become difference makers in their fields.

NGU is a launching pad for your career. Our alumni network will provide you with personal and professional connections that will help you navigate your calling.

Stories from our Alumni

Lachuné Boyd ’16

Lachuné Boyd has been impressing audiences with her talent since she was a kid. “Growing up, singing was just something we all did,” the Darlington, South Carolina native said. Performing in church and with her family, Boyd recognized her gift and decided to pursue music professionally after high school. “Everybody in my family still sings today,” she said. “I always knew it was something I was going to do.”

Attending North Greenville University, Boyd graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music in 2016. “While I was at North Greenville, I really enjoyed the idea of studying music in a context where you get think about theology or music in a philosophical sense,” she said. “(When I graduated), I was looking for a place that was going to pose more questions in that arena, and that’s when I started raising my antennas about going to seminary.” Boyd continued her education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, pursuing a master’s degree in music education. “Learning how to be a musician and glorify God with my talents was always important for me,” she said. Boyd said her musical inspirations include John Coltrane and Leslie Odom, Jr. “I once saw a clip of a performer singing the Lord’s Prayer in the National Cathedral. In the front row, you could see the Presidents and others who were present. People were so moved. I just thought, ‘Wow, what she’s doing is really bringing some sense of consolation to them.’ I just always wanted to be close to that experience where I’m offering something beautiful to people,” Boyd continued.

The profession has landed Boyd on some big stages, including America’s Got Talent. Boyd made it to the semifinals of the hit NBC show in 2023. “They were so nice,” Boyd said of the America’s Got Talent judges. “It was such a great experience.” Now a vocal coach, Boyd said she is enjoying her career and how it puts her in a position to help others. “Musicians run off adrenaline, but voice teaching fuels me in a way that helps me have even more creativity,” she said. “It continuously reaffirms that message that what I’m doing is meaningful and good. I’m not going to always be singing in a church, but I always want it to be a service to others.”

Jeremiah Bogan ’20

Jeremiah Bogan has been chasing his dream of being in the National Football League (NFL) since he was a kid. “Football has basically been the structure of my whole life,” he said. “I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old. I wanted to play in the NFL. I also loved the idea of being able to build teams and put together the puzzle pieces.”

Bogan played his college football at North Greenville University (NGU), where he graduated with a degree in Sport Management in 2020.

“North Greenville helped me push myself,” Bogan said. “I grew so much as a person during my time at NGU. I’ve loved the school more and more each year that I become further removed because I’m seeing so many things that were instilled in me that have helped me get to where I am now.” After earning his Master of Business Administration (MBA), Bogan started chasing his dream from a different angle. Bogan has served in roles with college football programs including UNLV, Pittsburgh, Liberty, LSU, and UCONN. He also served as the National Scout for the East-West Shrine Bowl. “I know people look at my resume and notice that I’ve bounced around pretty fast. Honestly, it’s all happened a lot faster than I thought. When I was a player, I fell more in love with the training and the process of getting better, and not necessarily the results,” Bogan said.

The results, however, led Bogan to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he joined as a Scouting Assistant in June. “The NFL is something that I’ve always thought about and worked towards,” he said. “The more time you spend in football, the more you understand how good that structure is for you. That discipline has transformed my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the work ethic that it taught me.” Bogan attributes his success to investing in each team along the way.

“I always tell people to grow where their feet are planted,” he said. “Don’t try to look too far ahead. That’s what I’ve tried to do. If you’ll put your head down and do the work, the next thing you know, you’ll look up and see a door open for you. You don’t always have to step through that door, but opportunity will be there.”

Bogan said his faith has been important for him as he navigates each new season. “God calls me to serve every day,” he said. “That’s what I’m thinking about when I wake up in the morning. Serving others. Sure, you’re in a space where everyone comes from different backgrounds and believes in different things, but you have can still be that light for others and serve them.” “Growing up, you didn’t really see athletes professing Christ,” Bogan continued. “I always told myself that if I ever got a platform that big, I would be one of those vessels that showed you can reach these heights without having to hide your faith or sacrifice who you are as a person.” Bogan regularly uses the phrase “God did” on his social media accounts, reminding himself that the Lord has been with him each step of the way. “It’s the idea that every time you get down on yourself or things don’t go your way, maybe your plan shifted, you have to remember what God did,” he said. “Even during times I didn’t believe God was working in my life, you can look back and see that He did. He remains true to the promises He makes and He will forever.”

Cary Sanders

For Cary Sanders, the path to a Doctorate in Christian Ministry began in a prison cell. Arrested 17 times before the age of 17, Sanders spent his adolescent years pursuing a life of crime. “I was in and out of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Mental Health tried to help me. There were just a lot of people who tried to warn me about the destruction I was headed for,” Sanders said. “I didn’t have any regard for the future.” Just after his 17^th birthday, Sanders committed an armed robbery that landed him in prison. Awaiting his sentencing and pondering the life choices that led him to ruin, he said he decided to open a Bible. “I began flipping through it and there was an article titled: ‘How to Have a New Life in Christ.’ It was a presentation of the Gospel–How God had created a good world, the disease of sin had entered in and humanity rebelled against God, and now there was a curse upon the whole world. Nothing could fix it except a healthy relationship with God. That made sense to me. I had felt my own powerlessness to make any lasting change in my life.”

Sentenced to 45 years with the opportunity to be released early, Sanders began living out his faith behind bars. “I was fortunate enough to have members from local churches come in and disciple me. They helped me learn what it means to follow Christ and how to put sin to death,” he said. Sanders spent nine years in prison before being released. Making the most of his second chance in life, he started school at North Greenville University in January of 2014. Sanders received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Studies from NGU in 2017 and returned in 2019 to pursue a Doctor of Ministry degree. “I remember sitting in the classroom and I felt like a fish out of water. A common thought that I had was: ‘if they knew my story, what would they think,’” Sanders said. “But what I’ve found in dealing with people from North Greenville is that there’s been one common theme: Let’s believe what God says about the world. Let’s believe what God says his children are. Let’s believe that people’s identities are found in Christ and let’s treat them that way.” “What our society most desperately needs is individuals who are passionately pursuing Jesus with excellence,” he said. “North Greenville is a place that provides that and that is rare in today’s world. It’s a place where men and women are being equipped to be transformational difference makers for our Lord.”

Sanders now serves as the Chief Executive Officer of JUMPSTART, a nonprofit ministry dedicated to providing opportunities for incarcerated men and women and those re-entering society in a Christian environment. “We have active programming in 17 different prisons,” Sanders said. “This is not jailhouse religion. It’s rigorous intensive discipleship. Nationally, the rate of recidivisms is 70 percent. Jumpstart, over the past 10 years, has a success rate of 96 percent. The Gospel works.”