Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see myself pursuing degrees in Theology and Social Work, and yet, here I am doing just that. I am a female, first generation student from a Puerto Rican family. While no one in my family has ever received a college degree, getting one myself has been my greatest desire since I was in elementary school. I have hit many, many stumbling blocks since graduation high school, life has thrown many curve balls. I had initially planned to attend college for fashion merchandising, but when funding fell through, I moved across the country and got an office job. From there, I fell into a bit of hole and got stuck in life, not knowing what my next move should be or if I would ever get to go to college. After a few years, I decided to move to New York City to pursue a career in musical theatre. I absolutely loved NYC and I loved performing, but the longer I lived in New York, the more my heart ached for the population of people that are living in homelessness. After a couple of years, there was no way that I could sit back and do nothing when there is a whole demographic of people that need help. The only problem was that I had no idea what to do or how to help. I grew up in a traditional Pentecostal, Hispanic household, and so God has always been a part of my journey. I was never incredibly religious, but I had a gut feeling that I needed to go to school for Theology, and so I applied to Lee University in a tiny town in Tennessee and I got in! Coming back to school for theology was a complete leap of faith because even a year into the program, I still didn't know how this would translate to helping people get off the streets and into homes of their own. Then, March 2020 happened, and we all know exactly what I'm talking about...COVID-19 officially hit the US. During this time, shelters and soup kitchens were closing and those in our societies who are already vulnerable became even more so, a thought that I simply could not bare. I began researching, and I came across social work. Before I had only associated social work with children and the foster care system, I did not realize that there is an entire sector of the industry devoted to helping adults become health, stable and self-sufficient. That is the dream for me now, to work and one day start my own non-profit organization where we can work together help make a difference in the homelessness crisis that is happening in the US, and even all over the world. I am also minoring in political science, because I not only plan to help individual people, but I want to understand the ins and outs of lobbying and law-making so that I can be a better advocate and help to make systemic change so that no one ever has to go hungry or sleep on a sidewalk.

I grew up in a Spanish Pentecostal. I was baptized at the age of 15, but if I’m being honest, it was more for my family. As soon as I turned 18, I left home and stopped going to church. I never stopped believing in God, and I believed that God could perform miracles and heal people, but at some point I stopped believing that He would do that for me. I was sexually abused by a family member from the age of 9 until I was 16. When I was 17 I was at a youth conference where I ended up telling one of my youth leaders about this, the first time I had ever told anyone. About one month before my 18th birthday, this youth leader surprised me by taking me to our pastor’s office where my parents were waiting, and forced me to tell my parents what had happened. Within a week, it was as if nothing had ever happened. My family chose to sweep it under the rug, and if I ever acted in a dismissive way toward the person who abused me, my family would accuse me of attempting to tear the family apart. I had to live with still seeing this person at all family gatherings and pretend I was fine until the age of 25, when he passed away. After moving out of my parent’s home at age 18, I began struggling with anxiety and depression. I got into things that I shouldn’t have, and just lived a very “worldly” life. Through all of this, I was working at a Christian organization, and I began to feel very guilty about being one person at work, and another outside of work. The summer of 2018, I was 25 years old, I decided to quit that job and move to New York City to pursue a career in musical theater. During that time, I decided to ask a friend if she would do a Bible study I had come across with me. I had always heard of stories like Joyce Meyers’ and I never understood what people meant when they would say God healed them from emotional traumas. I really just never thought it would be possible for me. But when I tell you before I had even gotten all the through Exodus, God completely changed my heart and my mind, it felt unreal. I don’t know how, but only having read the first two books of the Bible, through the power of God and the Holy Spirit, something in me changed, and for the first time in my life I truly felt loved by God. It was in that moment that my heart began to ache for people who die every minute without ever hearing the name Jesus, let alone knowing how much they are loved. Fast forward to now, and I am a junior at Lee University, a Christian college in Cleveland, TN, where I am majoring in Biblical and Theological Studies, with a minor in Psychology. After graduation in May 2022, I plan to follow up with a Masters of Social Work, and eventually move back to New York. I came to Lee University in August 2019, having to completely trust God because I had no idea what I was doing or what I would be doing for a career, but felt that this was where He wanted me. I had to trust that before I graduated, He would open up doors and allow me to see what the next steps are. As a very type-A person, doing something without a plan is terrifying, but the leap of faith was worth it. After many prayers and conversations with professors, the dream is now to one day open a Christ-centered non-profit organization that holistically helps people experiencing homelessness, abuse, and addiction. I definitely made a very long story short here, this is a snapshot of my testimony and how far God has brought me in life. There are still days that I struggle with depression and lack of self-worth, just as much as I did five years ago, but how has Jesus changed my life? First, He has changed my mind so that when those days come, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they will pass because my hope is in Christ. Secondly, He has changed my heart to one that yearns to know Him more and more, and one that breaks at the thought of others not knowing Him.