As a graduating senior whose heart has been restless with questions all throughout my faith journey at Yale, I felt so blessed to be able to participate in the “Engaging Students to Enliven the Ecclesial Mission” (ESTEEM) program this year. Through ESTEEM, I’ve become acutely aware of the fact that we live in a time when the Church needs young people, and young people need the Church — though both sides may be reluctant to admit this reciprocity. It was inspiring to deepen our understanding of church and learn about various ways to get involved after we graduate over our Sunday discussions with church leaders. I was most encouraged, however, by my peers in the ESTEEM program, ranging from sophomores in Yale College to graduate students studying nursing and chemistry. Though our group was very diverse in our academic interests, personalities and backgrounds, we all shared a passion for wanting to know Christ better and to reflect this passion in our lives at Yale. I will always remember the conversations we had on our trip to Chicago for the ESTEEM Capstone Conference, because we were not afraid to ask each other challenging questions.
As I graduate from Yale and seek a new church, I hope to bring the energy, curiosity and love that I have always found with the STM community.
