Our students on the Core Team are dedicated to making UK a safe and welcoming environment for our Catholic Wildcats
Newman Center’s Core Team, established in the Spring of 2021, provides an opportunity for students passionate about their faith to become leaders to our catholic wildcats and the local community. Each semester, our Core Team commits to a project that supports the community, such as our 2021 Thanksgiving food drive. Core Team built on our annual parish tradition by inviting each of the 14 Christian organizations across campus to donate non-perishables and personal care items. Through their efforts and the generosity of our community, we were able to raise over 1,600 items to benefit 4 food pantries across Kentucky.
In addition to their semester project, Core Team members are expected to attend one of our Newman events each week as well as a Sunday evening meeting. That means you can usually see one of our Core Team members at Newman every day of the week!
Catholic Wildcat Missionary Leah Tepe stated:
“Core Team works as the hands and feet of Christ serving our Newman community. They cook dinner, set up tables and chairs, welcome new students, and create new events and activities for after Mass. All of this volunteer work often goes unnoticed, but they humbly complete every task with a smile. They constantly have new ideas on how to grow the Newman community closer together and they work exceptionally well as a team to make their ideas real. I am constantly inspired by the dedication of their time and talents to serve this community while still fulfilling their responsibilities as students. They are leaders and missionaries today, and I have no doubt, they will be the leaders and missionaries of where they go next.”
Keep reading to learn more about our team, and click the button below if you are interested in joining! Don’t forget to introduce yourself the next time you see one of our team members!

Karys Whitehead (President) ’23
Major: Nursing
Career Path: Nurse Practitioner
Favorite Saint: St. Mother Teresa
Why I Love Newman: God blessed me with beautiful friendships here at the Newman Center. My goal is that every student who stumbles upon our community feels welcomed, loved, and finds their home just as I did.

Christian Scheutter (Vice President) ’23
Major: Information Communication Technology with a Computer Science minor
Career Path: Cybersecurity
Favorite Saint: Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
Why I Love Newman: I love to serve at Newman because I get to be the light of Christ in the world alongside others my age who want to be the same thing.

Jack Reynolds ’24
Major: Public Policy & Political Science
Career Path: Lawyer
Favorite Saint: St. Augustine
Why I Love Newman: I love to serve at the Newman Center because it allows me to devote more of my time to serving our parish and lets me get more involved in our community, both of which have helped me appreciate everything we do as a church and the impact that we have on campus.

Seth John ’22
Major: Nursing
Career Path: Medical Doctor
Favorite Saint: St. James the Greater
Why I Love Newman: I really appreciate the service opportunities at Newman because it gives me opportunities to serve the body of Christ and the community I belong to. I want to be able to share the love of Christ with my friends and the people around me. At Newman, I am able to accomplish this through the opportunities given.

Maureen Mullally ’22
Major: Kinesiology
Favorite Saint: Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
Why I Love Newman: I love serving the Newman community because it allows me to respond to the love God has poured into me. On Core Team, I can put my faith into action and make a gift of my time and effort. Working with a team of faithful men and women striving for a mission together gives me an image of the church we are helping to build and serve.

Paul Allison ’24
Major: Digital Media and Design & Marketing
Career Path: Filmmaker or Missionary
Favorite Saint: St. Padre Pio
Why I Love Newman: Serving at Newman on Core Team is a powerful way to help be a channel of evangelization and love through planning events and reaching out to students. Being part of such an amazing team has been nothing short of incredible.

Preston Maxwell ’24
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Career Path: Active Duty Combat Engineering Officer
Favorite Saint: St. Michael
Why I Love Newman: The reason I love to serve at the Newman Center is I get to be around the people who have helped me through my faith journey. Another reason I love to serve at the Newman Center is how many young people come together in the community to worship and serve the Lord.