Why I Chose The Fellows Program

Reflecting on the Last Four Years

Four years ago Columbia, SC  became my home. It started with many doubts but ended with every doubt being proven wrong. Columbia quickly became the place I was excited to call home. 

The first year set me up well, becoming a Christian that year played heavily into that. Going into college I wasn't a Christian. I grew up in the Church, but it wasn't my own faith to claim. That first year was the first time I had independence, which allowed me to explore this on my own. Quickly into that first semester, I found Young Life which if you are not familiar with is a Christian organization that shares the gospel with adolescents ranging from middle schoolers to college students from backgrounds of all sorts. Since becoming a part of it in college I've become a leader myself for middle schoolers and met my roommates that I've been with the last three years. In the following years, I joined my bible study group, found my church, and became a backpacking guide for a Young Life camp in Colorado providing me so many examples of Jesus and places to learn and grow in my faith.

I find it difficult to articulate how that first year influenced the remainder of my college experience, not only in terms of what to say but also in summarizing it here. I can say that every photo you see here would not exist without it. My Bible study group, Young Life team, roommates, church, and the people from Wilderness Ranch—all of it began when I discovered that life is found in Christ. Which eventually brought me to this Fellows Program.

So Why the Fellows Program?

After graduating college, there were many paths I could've taken, many leading to a full-time job or internship in various fields and locations. So, why Raleigh and the Fellows Program?

Since I finished school a semester early, It felt right to start looking for something that I was confident would help me transition to a new city, find community quickly as well as a church, and save some money in the process of taking the next steps. I had heard of the Fellows from many friends who have done the program themselves, but I was fortunate enough to have an aunt who hosted Fellows in the past at the Raleigh program. Because of this, I had many perspectives on what the Fellows offered, and it allowed me to break down how beneficial it could actually be for me. The program is built to help recent college graduates transition into the next chapter of life, experiencing the work-life balance centered around Christ and the church. This was perfect; it checked all the boxes for me. So, when it came to making a decision, I knew the community would be rich since I got to walk alongside other graduates who were in the program, I get to take classes on Christian theology, I get to experience being a part of a church body as an adult out of college, and I'm near family, and in all, hopefully, this would draw me closer to Christ.

In the months leading up to the program's start, I will wrap up my time in Columbia by working part-time and leading YoungLife. After that, I'll guide backpacking trips for one more summer before finally beginning Raleigh Fellows in September.

If you'd like to support me in any way, please follow along as I post blogs about my time there. You can also donate to help fund my spot in the program at the link below!

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