We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.
Hi, I’m Joanna! I’m a FOCUS missionary at NYU.
“I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide” – John 15:16
After two years on mission at San Francisco State, I am now serving as the team director at New York University. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to share the Gospel in the heart of Manhattan with my incredible team!
Team NYU 2025-26: Landon, Natalia, Joanna, and Jack
I was blessed to be raised faithfully Catholic and to have encountered Jesus in the Eucharist from a young age. When I began college at Brown, I knew that I was called to follow Jesus, but I didn’t live as though He was the King of my heart. My life was oriented around achievement and success, and I believed that my identity and worth came from what I could accomplish. When the pandemic stripped away many of my distractions, I experienced deep loneliness, isolation, and hopelessness. But through the friendship of FOCUS missionaries, who invited me to a life of deeper prayer and the sacraments, God transformed my life. He freed me from the burdens of perfectionism and self-reliance, and showed me my true identity as His daughter: inherently good and beloved for who I am, not for what I do.
I want every soul to experience the freedom and joy of life in Christ! I desire nothing more than to pour out the love that God has lavished upon me, invite students into His abundant life, and teach them how to be missionary disciples, so that we might reach the entire world for Jesus Christ.
When I answered the call to join FOCUS, I chose to trust in God’s providence and rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners to help me carry out this mission. Your partnership allows me to reach college students with the hope and joy of Christ. If you are interested in joining the mission, please let me know the best way to reach you, and I will set up an appointment to share more. It would be a great gift to labor in the vineyard of the Lord with you!
If you have any questions or need help setting up your gift, please contact us at [email protected].
We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.
By building genuine friendships, we meet students on a deeper level.
We teach students how to share the gospel, who in turn teach other students how to pass it on.