I will be serving at San Diego State University this coming Fall. When discerning mission, I had strong desires to be placed in California, so I couldn’t me more excited for the the mission He is preparing for me in San Diego. California is where I grew up, so I am passionate about being on mission in my home state!

Growing up, I easily grew numb to the radical truths of Catholicism that were taught to me by my parents and my teachers. Unable to fathom the deep love that Jesus wanted to give me everyday, I let prayer and the Sacraments become mere motions that never penetrated deeper than the surface of my heart. The Lord began to reach my heart ever more slightly in high school where I began to realize that He desired personal relationship with me, but even then I still found myself obsessed with my own academic success. I knew God loved me, but I still placed my identity in the things I could accomplish.

When I decided to go to UC Berkeley for college, I was transplanted from a sheltered Catholic school world to a school and a city that were both much different from where I grew up. But it was in this most unlikely of places, that the Lord encountered me the most. In the back of a Mediteranean restaurant in the Northside of Berkeley, I was asked if I wanted Jesus to be the center of my life. And ever since that reluctant and small ‘yes’ I started to see God in everything. More and more I began to realize just how deeply he was pursuing me. Jesus encountered me the most in the relationships He brought into my life, be it my family who have sacrificed so much for me, my best friends who I have the blessing of being on mission with, or the missionaries who invested in me throughout college.

In college, I came to know the truth that every moment of my life – all the messiness and joy and pain and goodness – was beautiful and sacred beyond my own comprehension simply because I am beloved by Him. He wants my entire heart. I want nothing more than to help other young people encounter the Gospel and realize these truths about themselves.

I am not able to do this mission alone. 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. If you are interested in partnering with me, please let me know of the best way to reach you and I will schedule an appointment. I’d be honored to share this mission with you! You can reach me via phone at 949-413-5419 or email ([email protected])