As I recently finished my graduate degree in Occupational Therapy from Mizzou this December, I was excited to learn that I have been placed at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign! Go Fighting Illini!!

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost and Peter called for the crowd to repent and be baptized. Luke states that they all devoted themselves to 4 things: the apostles’ teachings (Scripture), fellowship, the breaking of the bread (the Sacraments), and prayer. A question posed to me once asked this: Which of these 4 brought you back to the faith?

After growing up a cradle Catholic (and Greek Orthodox) and, like many students, having fallen away from the faith at the beginning of college, it was fellowship with my roommates and their community with FOCUS at the Newman Center that drew me back to the Catholic faith my junior/senior year.

I had searched high and low hoping to find my identity and my worth in school work, extracurriculars, friends, and the stereotypical ‘college life’, all with no luck. Better yet, I couldn’t deny the genuine love, authentic friendship, and selfless care for one another I was starting to see in my new friendships. After attending the SEEK conference my senior year, I realized I couldn’t begin to know Jesus and build a relationship with Him if I didn’t know how to pray. Prayer is the foundation of the spiritual life, and while I had prayed before, I more often talked at God and not with God. Setting my pride aside, I asked a FOCUS missionary to teach me how and where to start. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, a deep encounter with the Lord through prayer became a daily habit, and I slowly began to turn my face away from temporary pleasures to the One who calls me His Beloved Daughter. Jesus is so incredibly jealous for our hearts. My desire in becoming a missionary is to encounter college students where they are at with the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they are made for a Love so much greater than anything else they can find.

“Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.” -St. Rose of Lima

In answering 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 partnering with me, you can contact me at (314)717-6596 or [email protected] as I would be honored to share more with you about this mission!