“Relationships Built Along the Way”
When Jaran Roste ’21, GS’24 transferred to Bethel in 2018, he had no idea how his life would change over the next few years. The Bethel Royals starting quarterback has grown both on and off the field through his relationships with teammates, coaches, and students in Bethel’s BUILD program. These relationships have even shaped his career path as he pursues his M.A. in Education K-12 through Bethel’s Graduate School.
By Katie Johnson '19, content specialist
November 04, 2021 | 10 a.m.
Jaran Roste '21, GS'24 is sad to leave his role with Bethel’s BUILD program and loves the time he spent working at Bethel. Before working with the program, he volunteered as a BUILD mentor and then a BUILD housing mentor as a student. “I cannot speak highly enough of the BUILD program,” he says.
Like all legends, Jaran Roste ’21, GS’24 has an origin story. Unlike most legends, the story doesn’t start with a bite from a radioactive spider, an untimely fall into a vat of toxic waste, or even a prophecy. Instead of reluctantly following the path of heroic obligation, Roste’s heart for high schoolers, his family, and athletics led him all the way to Bethel as the Royal’s starting quarterback. As he plays his last year in the recently renovated Royal Stadium, Roste reflects on a Bethel journey full of surprises, opportunities, and connections that have shaped him beyond measure.
Although Roste’s athletic abilities gave him the opportunity to play Division I football, after one year at a state school, he found himself looking for more meaningful connections with people both on and off the field. He had always considered following his older sisters’ footsteps and attending Bethel, and once his first football season was over, he told the Bethel coaches that he wanted to play as a Royal. “I always had Bethel in one of my top schools, and not just because of football,” Roste says. “I wanted to come to a school where I could grow as a person and grow in my faith, with people around me that were going to continue to push me in that aspect.”
And he found exactly what he was looking for. According to Roste, Coach Steve Johnson consistently encourages the players to think beyond their time in a Bethel jersey by asking them: “Who do you want to be? What kind of man do you want to be?” That identity piece in turn shapes their whole lives as they strive to do and be their best. “I’ve learned that you slowly evolve and become like the people you hang out with,” Roste says. “The people I've been fortunate enough to meet at Bethel have transformed my life and will continue to transform me. That's a special thing.”
Roste (#9) connects with his team before the next play.
Quite a few of those transformative people have been students in Bethel’s BUILD program, a two-year postsecondary, residential program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. During his first semester at Bethel, he worked as a mentor in the BUILD Independent Study class, helping students with their homework and other courses. Lisa Bjork, assistant director of BUILD, asked Roste if he were a special education major. When he said he told her that he was pursuing business and political science, she claimed right then and there that he would one day be involved in special education.
Roste eventually became a resident assistant in Nelson Hall, Bethel’s largest freshman dorm, and then a BUILD housing mentor the year after. Although Roste graduated as both a social studies education 5-12 major and a business and political science major in May 2021, he was granted an additional year of football eligibility due to COVID-19. He’s currently playing football, pursuing his M.A. in Education K-12 with a special education concentration, and working as the interim BUILD residential supervisor for first year students.
“BUILD has changed my life, because the amount of joy that I've seen—and received myself—from this program is immense. I get to see and work with these students every day. They've changed who I am as a person, for the better,” Roste says. “The BUILD program has been an avenue to learn more about students with intellectual disabilities and how to best support them as I explore future opportunities in the special education field.”
"The day I decided to transfer, I told the coaches that I was going to play football at Bethel," Roste says. "So just the school in general, the people, and the environment—those are the main reasons I chose Bethel. The football piece is a special added bonus because, like I said, I get to hang out with some really amazing people every single day within the team."
For his work in Bethel’s BUILD program and other volunteer opportunities, Roste was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in collaboration with Allstate. The Good Works Team includes 22-members selected from 109 collegiate nominations across the country. “I'm honored to be named one of 22 members of the Good Works Team,” Roste says, though he’s quick to add: “And I don't do these things because of an award. I do them because I absolutely love working with students in BUILD and in some of the other areas in which I was able to support people in our community.”
Roste hopes to continue supporting others, especially adolescents navigating middle and high school both in the classroom and on the field. He appreciates the life lessons students learn through playing sports and how athletics can be used to help shape whole people, not just players. Roste hopes to emulate examples set by his high school and college coaches, teachers, and mentors by developing relationships with students to help them grow into who they want to be. While they’ll have opportunities to improve their athletic abilities and knowledge of the game, Roste hopes to help students know what really matters about their time on a team:
“When I look back, the winning isn't necessarily the stuff I remember. We had a pretty phenomenal run at Bethel in 2018 when we made it to the Elite Eight of the Division III playoffs. And I don't remember the games where we won. I don't remember specific plays that necessarily made me, or others around me, look good. I remember the bus rides. I remember the practices on a Tuesday in the middle of November—when you complain that you don't want to be there, but at the same point, you wouldn't want to be anywhere else. So much of the reason behind that is our coaches setting up the environment and the culture in which that's the fun stuff. The kids aren't going to remember the wins and losses, they're going to remember the experience and the relationships they built along the way.”
Transformation through athletics.
At Bethel University, athletics are a life-changing experience for student-athletes. More than 500 Bethel students—about 25% of the student body—participate in intercollegiate athletics. Bethel athletics transform students’ lives, building character and maturity that last a lifetime. As graduates, they use the life lessons they learned in sports to lead and serve with commitment, dedication, and determination.