"My professors pushed me to think outside of the box and to not only work on assignments and projects but see how those projects and assignments can be used in the field one day."

Quick Facts

Program: B.A. in Early Childhood Studies
Concentration: Child Development
Graduation Year: 2015
Current Job Title: College Minister with Challenge at CBU
Hometown: Rialto, CA
Current City: Riverside, CA

Life at CBU

Why did you choose your major? What interested you in this field of study?
I chose the major I did because when I was younger I had opportunities to work with children with special needs. These moments and opportunities made me realize that I enjoyed working with children and learning from children with special needs. I then found out that ECH is a field that would help with the process of pursuing working in the field of special education.

What did you like about being in this program at CBU?
I would honestly say that my professor Dr. Short is what made the program. She has such a passion for teaching that it made the program a phenomenal experience. She pushed students to think outside of the box and to not only work on assignments and projects but see how those projects and assignments can be used in the field one day. 

Did you participate in anything else at CBU?
I was involved with Challenge at CBU which is a campus ministry that invests in the lives of students to grow spiritually. I was deeply impacted by this ministry at CBU. I also was part of an International Service Project at CBU, which was a great experience in being able to go on a cross-cultural trip and meet people from different places and learn about them and their background but also be able to have spiritual conversations with them.

How did you grow (spiritually, socially, educationally) while in this program at CBU?
I learned how to have intentional conversations with my classmates and also how to think through what that would look like in the workplace with children and parents. Being able to listen well and respond with care. Educationally I grew in learning the importance of cognitive, social, and gross motor development of children. Understanding how to develop those things within children but also understanding how their growth in those areas impact how they will grow into their later years in life. 

Did your major help you figure out your purpose?
My program in a way did help me find my purpose. As I worked with children and learned about how culture, surroundings and upbringing impact the growth and even personality of an individual it helped in the process of choosing to do college ministry. Understanding who a college student is allows me to think through what they went through or who they were in their younger years.

Life after CBU

What have you done since graduating?
Since graduating I have been doing college ministry at CBU. I have also married my wife who is an ECH major. I am in the process of pursuing a master’s of theology at Gateway Seminary. I also currently have two foster daughters that have deeply impacted the life of my wife and me.           

Is there anything you learned at CBU that you still use in your professional life today?
Everywhere at CBU you hear to be “biblically rooted.” I have learned that in everything I do there is an absolute importance to being biblically rooted and thinking through not only why I am doing what I am doing, but also how I will act in a biblical manner for Christ to be glorified. 

How are you making a difference in the world? How are you living your purpose?
I would say that a difference is being made because with my ministry students are realizing their need for Jesus and are then being discipled. Also, as we have had our two girls, we have seen the need for loving children in the foster system. We desire to adopt our little girls, realizing that my wife and I have ultimately been adopted into the ultimate family, which is the family of God.