"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.