I grew up in a Christian household and going to church was just part of my routine. It was something I did because my parents told me to, not because I took my faith seriously. For most of my life, I just went with the flow until I got to college.

My freshman year started exactly how I had hoped. I was accepted into the University of Washington College of Engineering and into Vision 16, a Christian housing community near UW. There were three women’s houses—the North House, the South House, and the Trio—and one men’s house. I really wanted to be in the South House since I already knew some of the girls there but I was placed in the North House which left me feeling disappointed. Throughout my freshman year, I struggled to connect with my housemates and often felt like the odd one out. Because of that, I went home almost every weekend. I remember constantly wondering why God had placed me there when I didn’t feel like I belonged. I also wasn’t plugged into a church and was church hopping. I would attend services but would leave immediately after without talking to anyone. I really wanted a community of people I could grow with in Christ and build deep friendships with but I couldn’t seem to find it.

At the same time, I was struggling academically. My general engineering classes were difficult and each quarter I found myself doing worse and barely passing. Throughout my freshman and sophomore years, I often questioned God’s plan and whether I was even in the right place. I believed that God had a good plan for me but it was hard to see it in the middle of everything I was going through. Still, I chose to believe that there was a reason God was waking me up each day and that He wouldn’t place me in these situations if I couldn’t handle them.

I pushed through those first two years and eventually reached my junior year when I could start taking civil engineering classes. For the first time, I was excelling in my courses. My GPA began to rise and I felt excited about what I was studying. I continued living in the North House, trusting that there was a reason God placed me there even though I still didn’t fully understand why. Over time, I slowly began to connect more with my housemates and build deeper friendships.

Even as things improved academically and within my house, I knew something was still missing. I felt a deeper craving for community and knew I needed to find a church. I remembered someone mentioning New Life to me a couple of years earlier so I decided to check it out and join the college CG. After a few weeks, I started connecting with the other students and actually looked forward to going to church on Sundays. I realized that this was the community I had been searching for since freshman year.