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WIU alumna Doris Egbunike-Simple married her fiance, Ini Simple, in Macomb, one week after her WIU graduation.
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From WIU Graduation to Macomb Wedding in One Week

June 12, 2017

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MACOMB, IL – After becoming a Western Illinois University graduate and getting married in virtually the same week, Doris Egbunike-Simple has written the perfect story of how Macomb welcomes students from around the world and becomes an important part of their lives.

Egbunike-Simple was a dentist in her home country of Nigeria and had a dream of opening a public dental clinic there. A friend told her about Western's health sciences graduate program, a degree which Egbunike-Simple believed was an important step toward her goal.

After being hooded as a master's degree recipient May 12, Egbunike-Simple married the love of her life, Ini Simple, May 20 in Macomb's Wesley United Methodist Church. She is currently working to complete her internship before returning to Nigeria.

As Egbunike-Simple walked from her apartment to the WIU campus each day during her studies, she passed by the Wesley Foundation building on West University Drive. The campus ministry is sponsored by the United Methodist Church and offers a variety of faith-related services to students.

Egbunike-Simple practiced the Catholic faith in Nigeria and her experience with the Methodist church in Africa was that its practices were strict. One day she ventured into the building and met Wesley Foundation Director and Pastor Mark Hendrickson.

Because her husband proposed during a March visit to Macomb, Egbunike-Simple was looking for a place to get married. Hendrickson referred Egbunike-Simple to Wesley Pastor Howard White, setting off a chain reaction of Macomb- and WIU-related factors represented in her wedding.

"I wanted to get married in Macomb" she said. "I fell in love with Wesley Church and started attending services there. The first time I was there everyone was very welcoming and everything just worked out."

Egbunike-Simple said she didn't know where to begin planning a wedding, but she met WIU alumna Rachael Sheridan, who began to help connect her to wedding-related resources.

"She was so willing to help me," said Egbunike-Simple. "I call her an angel. There were so many people willing to help me when I was busy with school work and they found beautiful things for the wedding."

WIU Professor Emeritus Charlene Callison also helped with the wedding efforts, and Wesley Foundation Board Director and WIU Student Judicial Programs Director Tim Sheridan served as an usher. Sheridan's grandchildren were ring bearer and flower girl. The wedding was officiated by Hendrickson and White.

In addition, numerous friends and family members traveled from Nigeria to attend the wedding. Others came from across the United States.

Egbunike-Simple's husband returned to Nigeria last week to his job as head of production and operations of an oil co-operation. She said the couple is thankful for how welcoming Macomb was to them.

"When I came here I didn't feel like I was in a different place; there wasn't any culture shock," said Ebunike-Simple. "I found a new family."

Posted By: Jodi Pospeschil (JK-Pospeschil@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing