I grew up in upstate New York, and I never had anyone tell me about God until I was 19 years old in my freshman year at the University of Connecticut.

When God used someone very special to introduce me to Jesus Christ for the first time when I was in college, I loved the idea of it. I went to Mass for the first time, I would pray for other people sometimes, but nothing changed in my life. I knew of God, and I said I believed, but I did not yet know Him personally.

I continued to live the same way I had been for about a year. My identity was in athletics, status, partying, etc. I had everything I could’ve asked for, but there was always something lacking which led me to search for fulfillment in places where there was none. I was living the normal college life, but that life was so contrary to the Christian faith. At the end of my sophomore year of college, I reached a point of complete brokenness, a rock bottom that directly led to my conversion. At that moment I prayed in a way that I had never prayed before. I saw my brokenness, I saw my desperate need for God’s love and guidance, and I said yes to the invitation to relationship with Him which He created us for.

My life completely changed. I spent that summer immersed in prayer and scripture, growing in knowledge and deepening my personal relationship with God. In the fall of my junior year, I was introduced to a FOCUS missionary at UConn named Ethan. I joined Bible Study and Discipleship with him and my life continued to transform in so many ways. I was led to live a virtuous life and to find so much truth and beauty in the Catholic faith. That Easter, I was Baptized, Confirmed, and received first Holy Communion. I continued to grow in my faith and took on the responsibility of leading the men’s UConn Track & Field team in a weekly Bible Study and leading a group of guys in Discipleship. I fell in love with the mission of FOCUS. After experiencing its impact in my own life, I have answered the call to become a FOCUS Missionary!

Many people know about Jesus Christ, but they don’t truly know His love, they don’t know that they are created for relationship with God. My goal is to help change that, and I would love for you to be a part of it.

The Need
Anxiety and depression are at an all time high among young people.

• 65.6% of undergraduates feel lonely
• 55.9% feel hopeless
• 43.3% feel overwhelming anger
• 45.1% feel so depressed that it is difficult to function

I’m convinced that a large part of this has to do with a lack of purpose and a lack of understanding that they are loved and created by God, made for relationship with Him

My goal with joining FOCUS is to be a resource for these students and to change lives by introducing them to the goodness and love of God in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Your Impact
When I answered the call to join FOCUS, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners to help me through this mission. I’ve been blessed with the most amazing people who have journeyed with me as I serve on campus. If you are interested in being a part of this mission with me, please reach out to me at the contact information listed below. I would love to tell you more about it and I would be honored to share this mission with you.

You can reach me at 518-791-7969 or [email protected]