For Lance Rybka ’22, giving back to Samford University’s Brock School of Business is a response to the lasting impact the school made on his faith, friendships and career path.  

Rybka has established a new scholarship in honor of two close friends, Keenan Streitmatter and Tanner Fields. The three met as students at Samford, where their shared experiences in the classroom shaped the trajectory of their lives. 

“My time at Brock School of Business prepared us with the skills we needed to excel in our careers and to do the kind of work that allows us to build a gospel audience,” Rybka said. “Keenan and Tanner, through their faithfulness, helped grow my desire to use these skills for the good of the Kingdom, not simply to further my own life and comfort.” 

Rybka credits the academic rigor of Brock School of Business and the mentorship of faculty for preparing him professionally. He points to classes like intermediate accounting and influential professors including Bill Belski, Laura Bright, Kevin Pan, Rusty Yerkes, Larry Harper and Barbara Cartledge. 

After Samford, Rybka attended law school, and today he works as an associate attorney at Jones Day in Cleveland, Ohio, where he will soon join the firm’s real estate finance group.   

“Much of my work involves interacting with more senior attorneys, clients and staff,” he said. “The interpersonal, communication and presenting skills that I learned at Samford have been immensely valuable and are something I use every day.” 

His personal faith transformation at Samford ultimately reframed how he views success. “I grew up with a mindset that you had to be a missionary or a pastor to truly serve the Lord,” Rybka said. “Once Christ captured our hearts, Keenan, Tanner and I began to see the need for Gospel change in the areas of finance, insurance and law.” 

Rather than separating faith from career, the three began to see their professions as a mission field, discussing how they could share the Gospel in everyday interactions with coworkers and clients. 

That shift transformed how Rybka views money, generosity and stewardship. During his junior year, he began praying for close Christian friends and now sees his friendship with Streitmatter and Fields as a defining influence on his spiritual growth. 

“Our lives were profoundly impacted during our time at Samford,” he said. “The Lord answered that prayer by sending Keenan and Tanner, who have called me higher and helped me grow in my love for Jesus.” 

As his faith deepened, Rybka recognized a struggle with contentment, shaped by years of tying value to financial goals. “It wasn’t until I started following Christ that I realized this number was a moving target, and that no amount of money would be enough to find contentment,” he said. “Through this, the Lord convicted me that the love of money had a strong hold on my life and that the only way to protect ourselves from this idol is through generosity.” 

That conviction prompted him to act early. Instead of waiting until a future stage of life, Rybka chose to begin practicing generosity in his 20s, shaped by personal conviction and the example of his father and grandfather. Establishing a scholarship through Brock School of Business became a natural way to invest in a place that shaped him so deeply, and to honor friends who were instrumental in that journey. 

Through the scholarship, Rybka hopes to invest in students navigating the same questions of faith, calling and career that once shaped his own experience.  

“I hope that this scholarship will serve as a blessing and encouragement for new believers who are seeking to serve the Lord through business,” he said. “I pray that they will see the need for the Gospel in the areas of finance, economics, insurance, accounting and real estate, and that they will answer the call to work excellently and to share the Gospel with their coworkers and clients. 

“Proverbs 22:9 says ‘Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.’ By working excellently, we will gain an audience to share God’s love with those in the business world, and I hope that the recipients of this scholarship take this to heart.” 

GIVE: Streitmatter-Fields Impact Scholarship