Wartburg College recently recognized three outstanding young alumni for service to their communities.

The Young Alumni Award honors graduates from the past 15 years who are living the four pillars of the Wartburg College mission statement: leadership, service, faith and learning.

This year’s recipients are:

The Rev. Dan Hanson, of Mason City, graduated from Wartburg in 2012 after completing numerous service trips and working at multiple Lutheran Bible camps. He then attended Luther Seminary and was ordained. From 2016 to 2022, he was the pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hampton, where he also provided leadership and ministry to nearby rural churches. In 2017, Hanson participated in a two-week international ethics program in Germany and Poland through the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics. He now serves as pastor of spiritual growth at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mason City.

Maj. John Koehler, of Kailua, Hawaii, graduated from Wartburg in 2010 with a degree in biology. He went on to earn a second bachelor’s in vision science and his Doctor of Optometry from Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry. He holds two master’s degrees, one in business administration and one in health care administration, from Baylor University and recently completed a graduate certificate in global health engagement through the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Koehler serves as the executive officer and senior health care administrator for the Defense Health Agency’s Region Indo-Pacific Market, overseeing all military health facilities on Guam, the Okinawan islands, mainland Japan, Korea and Oahu.

The Rev. Emily Norris, of Winston-Salem, N.C., graduated from Wartburg in 2008 with a degree in history and history education. After years of volunteering with a shelter ministry in Winston-Salem, she developed a church specifically meant to serve the area’s homeless population. The Dwelling began its ministry in February 2020 and quickly had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its launch, the ministry has doubled the number of public showers available in the city; provided many with new clothing and toiletries; and facilitated the renovation of 26 housing units in low-income neighborhoods.

The three honorees were presented with their awards at a banquet on campus April 14.