MVNU Alumni Association recognizes outstanding alumni for service and impact

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University Alumni Association proudly announced the recipients of its annual awards during the Homecoming Chapel on Friday morning. The Alumni Association recognizes alumni who exemplify the university’s core values of humility, service, and compassion.

This year’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award went to Dr. Paul and Becky Freel, while Dr. Jennifer Holmes was honored with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Additionally, the Outstanding Clergy Alumni Award was awarded to Pastor Edward Solano.

Distinguished Alumni Service Award: Dr. Paul and Becky Freel 

The Distinguished Alumni Service Award celebrates alumni who exemplify the spirit of MVNU through their caring and dedicated service to others. Dr. Paul and Becky Freel truly reflect these values through their lifelong commitment to helping those in need.

The Freels, residents of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, are not only dedicated alumni but also passionate advocates for medical missions and community service, serving others both locally and globally. Paul graduated from MVNU in 1983 and earned his medical degree from East Carolina University. An accomplished Family Medicine physician, he also played baseball for MVNU. Becky, a 1982 graduate, furthered her education at Duke University, obtaining a master’s in medical laboratory technology.

Together, the Freels have been actively involved in short-term medical missions for over 25 years, traveling to locations such as Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cambodia, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and even New York City during the early pandemic. Their upcoming missions for 2025 will again focus on Honduras and Uganda.

They are also engaged in local service within their community. Becky has served on the Board of Trustees for North Greenville University and on the Executive Board for the Southern Baptist Convention. She is a year-round volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse and has served as board member of Dillon County Crisis Pregnancy Center. Paul is an ordained deacon with the Southern Baptist Convention, and they both teach Sunday School and facilitate a local support group with GriefShare.

Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Dr. Jennifer Holmes 

Dr. Jennifer (Chlam) Holmes was the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award. This honor recognizes alumni who are less than 10 years out from graduation and have made a significant impact in their profession and community.

Dr. Holmes, a 2018 summa cum laude graduate with a double major in biology and chemistry, was sparked by her own experience as a young patient in an optometrist’s office. The moment she first wore glasses opened her eyes to the world around her, igniting her passion for helping others see clearly.

“Walking out of the optometry office, I felt empowered with a sense that I could take on the world now that I could see it clearly,” Jennifer recalled.

Her commitment to service has been evident throughout her career. After graduating summa cum laude from MVNU in 2018 with a double major in biology and chemistry, Dr. Holmes went on to earn her Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University in 2022. During her time at MVNU, she served as a laboratory assistant and tutor, dedicating countless hours to help others succeed.

Dr. Holmes now works with the Veterans Administration, providing essential eye care to veterans in rural areas of North Central Appalachia. She has dedicated her career to serving veterans, treating ocular diseases in underserved areas. She passionately advocates for her patients, saying, “I want to serve the veteran population, and they are so grateful for people who are willing to make the long drive to serve them.”

Her commitment to service extends beyond patient care; she mentors optometry students, emphasizing the importance of education and community support, and serves as a clinical associate faculty member at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Holmes’ journey illustrates the MVNU motto, “To seek to learn is to seek to serve,” as she combines her passion for science with a deep commitment to helping others.

“The whole reason I went through all the learning I did at MVNU was so that I could serve others. That was the whole goal,” she said. “I spent a lot of time on my education, on academics. Now is when I’m seeing that hard work is all paying off by being able to work with patients and being able to work with the students and teaching them. This is why I did it. This is why I worked so hard in school for eight years.”

Outstanding Clergy Alumni Award: Pastor Edward Solano 

Solano, a 2017 graduate of MVNU with degrees in Pastoral Ministry and Philosophy, has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to serving others. He furthered his education by earning a Master of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary in 2023. Originally from Honduras, Solano now resides in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife Ashley and their dog, Numa.

Since graduating, Solano has made a profound impact through various roles, including serving as a church planter, an ESL teacher, and an instructor for Hispanic pastors. He currently co-leads the Westerville Church of the Nazarene, a bilingual congregation, and serves as one of three Multicultural Coordinators for the South-Central Ohio District. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at MVNU and acts as an interpreter for the General Church of the Nazarene.

Solano’s dedication to ministry is matched by his passion for his community, family, and cultural experiences. A lover of poetry, music, and international cuisine, he brings a diverse perspective to his work and encourages those around him to embrace their faith and heritage.

For more on MVNU’s Homecoming, visit http://mvnu.edu/homecoming.