Throughout my life, I have felt called to ministry and intuitively creative. During my undergraduate studies at Samford University, I started to explore the intersection of faith and art. A theatre arts education taught me empathy through character development, the importance of community through ensemble building, and creative storytelling to engage with shared human experience. Over the course of my training, I realized that these skills were all aspects of my religious experience that I valued as well. However, Samford also uprooted challenges in my call. For the first time, I was surrounded by peers who did not believe women could be pastors. I was asked to biblically defend my position, something I was never asked to do before. Because of this, I wrestled with the notion that maybe my calling wasn’t a call from God after all. During this time, a friend recommended the book She: Five Keys to Unlocking the Power of Women in Ministry by Karoline M. Lewis. In it, Lewis provides insight into the practical realities of being a female pastor. She addresses how women have been disenfranchised by the Church because of misinterpretation of scripture and institutionalized misogyny, which ultimately hinders their call. She explores how complementarian theology negatively impacts the Church. Therefore, Lewis emphasizes the importance of creating a space for women to be in leadership positions. This book helped me make sense of my peers’ conflicting views and allowed me to recognize my vocation as legitimate. Later in my undergraduate career, I read The Preaching Life by Barbara Brown Taylor for a preaching class. Through this reading, I began to recognize the responsibility of what it means to be a spiritual leader. Because of this, I dove into researching exegesis and hermeneutics of scripture. I loved connecting the dots and unpacking the text. Every time I opened my Bible, a new treasure was found the more I kept digging. It allowed me to grasp how I cared deeply about the inclusivity of the Church because we all have a paramount voice to contribute to the Christian experience and understanding of who God is for us and the world. In my senior year of college, I interned for Trinity United Methodist with their youth program. Leading a small group and occasionally speaking on Sunday nights allowed me to practice the teaching and preaching I had been so eager to do. I felt a sense of peace, like maybe this is what God has created me to do all along. Now, being a part of the Trinity staff over the last three years, I have only been affirmed in my call more. Having the privilege of discipling students and walking alongside them throughout their faith journey has shaped my understanding of pastoral care. It’s allowed me to realize I have a passion for working in the local church. Because of this experience, I am excited to purse my next steps to becoming a pastor by working toward my Masters of Divinity.