AL+UM
April 2024

Thanks for Being a Witness
“It’s easy to forget when you’re living small that small, consistent acts of charity and acts of perseverance can be some of the greatest witnesses to the people around us,” reminds Emily, Senior Alumni Relations Missionary. This month, she highlights an alumna teacher who shares the Gospel with her kindergarteners.
Emily Rohleder has served with FOCUS since 2018, including four years on campus at Ball State (chirp, chirp!) and the past two with the Alumni Team. She works with alumni in the lower Midwest. When she’s not galivanting about the country leading Upper Rooms, Emily likes to throw pottery at a local Wichita, KS, studio, read good books and host amazing parties with her roommates.
News

Join The Messy Family Project on a Couple’s Getaway
FOCUS Alumni and The Messy Family Project are teaming up to bring you and your spouse to The Catholic Couples Getaway with The Messy Family Project in Colorado Springs, Colorado on September 26 – 29, 2024!
We’re excited to extend a scholarship opportunity to you as a FOCUS alum couple. You can receive an exclusive $350 early-bird discount on your registration. There are only 10 spots open for this scholarship (first come, first served), available until May 15. To claim your FOCUS Alumni discount code, email [email protected].

FOCUS Alumni invites you to serve the poor with us in Mexico City
“I am forever changed and I don’t want to go home and stay the same,” said Sam Ayers of her Holy Land pilgrimage in Summer 2023. She came back renewed in her friendships and transformed in her desire for Christ.
This is what many of our alumni say about mission trips later in their discipleship journeys.
The September mission trip group will serve alongside Hope of the Poor, a ministry that serves Mexico City’s homeless, drug-addicted street kids, and those living in the city dump. Hope of the Poor’s primary mission is to bring Christ to those people by helping them know they are seen and loved. In addition to service, the group will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Could the Lord be inviting you to mission in Mexico City?

Conversations on Marriage, Part III: “Take Up Your Cross”
Marriage makes us saints, and that isn’t an easy journey. Join other alumni for our third session in a series of conversations on how we can better practice virtue and bear suffering in our relationships by following Christ’s example and the Church’s theology of marriage.
When: Thursday, April 18 at 8 p.m. CT
Where: lifelongU

Corporate Travel Services is looking for a Project Manager!
As a Project Manager with Corporate Travel Services, you would be responsible for coordinating international and domestic travel logistics for a variety of clients. The position requires business skills, a client-first mindset, leadership capability, and attention to detail. FOCUS has partnered with Corporate Travel on many of our pilgrimages and mission trips, and recognizes the high-quality work.
Visit our job board at connect.focus.org/jobs to apply and to see employers who are specifically looking for FOCUS alumni to fill their open positions. You can also reach out to Career Services Manager Elli Schmidt at [email protected].

Get Ready for the Alumni Team to Come to You!
Join FOCUS Alumni missionaries in your city this spring! Details about these events will be sent directly to alumni living in the area. Moved recently? Email [email protected] with your updated address. Otherwise fill out this contact form to stay updated about future events in your area.
- April 17: Alumni Gathering, Philadelphia, PA, [email protected]
- April 20: Alumni Vocations Workshop, Nashville, TN, [email protected]
- April 27: Diocesan Lifelong Mission Upper Room, Denver, CO, [email protected]
- April 26-28: FOCUS Alumni at the YCP Conference, Dallas, TX, [email protected]

Pray for Us and Let Us Pray for You!
The FOCUS Alumni team wants to unite our FOCUS family in prayer for one another. Please submit any prayer requests you have here. We pray for these intentions every Monday as a team. Save the link for future re-use!
Our team’s intention this month is for the 1,200 student commissioned disciples who will be graduating soon and moving into parish life. We pray that their formation with FOCUS during college would be a blessing to those they encounter. Please pray with us!
About Us
Our mission is to fan the flame of lifelong mission in the hearts of our alumni in this apostolic age.
The FOCUS Alumni Relations team exists to provide you, our alumni, with inspirational content in emails and social media. We desire to build alumni communities in various cities, connect alumni with job listings, and develop resources to support the living of Catholic mission in the world.
Get Involved
What does AL+UM mean?
AL+UM (Altum) comes from “Duc in Altum”, which means to“Set out into the deep.” This call, to set out into the deep, is the call of every person seeking after Christ. You are on a different mission now than when you were on campus, yet as you cast your nets, the Lord will certainly bless you with a great catch if you continue to trust in Him.