Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I tend to make my own plans – only to realize that God is always two steps ahead of me. In my senior year of high school, I thought I would go to my local Catholic university but ended up attending the local state university instead. During college, I planned to major in psychology and eventually teach high school AP Psychology classes, only to switch to being an English major. As a college senior, I meant to complete a teaching credential program after graduating, but eventually stayed at the same university to earn an M.A. in English instead. All of God’s reroutes allowed me to end up teaching right after COVID at the very Catholic university I had hoped to attend for my undergraduate degree.
While I truly love teaching at the University of San Diego, being an adjunct professor does not guarantee any job stability. After a few years, I began discerning if I needed a Ph.D. to pursue a tenure-track position but didn’t feel excitement about continuing to study English. I began looking into theology programs and found out that I would need a Masters to even apply to Ph.D. programs. At this point, I was very cautious. My own plans hadn’t worked out so well in the past, so I needed some serious confirmation that starting another graduate program (and giving up teaching at my other university to do so) was the right path for me. After being admitted to several programs, I was faced with two choices: the Franciscan School of Theology housed on USD’s campus, or Boston College’s CSTM hybrid program. Stay in my comfort zone, or go beyond it. Thankfully, God made the choice pretty obvious with a full-ride scholarship to BC.
“ Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I tend to make my own plans – only to realize that God is always two steps ahead of me. ”
It is ironic that having attended a secular state school for all of my higher education, I hadn’t even known theology was an academic discipline. But in my time in this program, I have found my coursework to be relevant to not just my spiritual life but my own human flourishing as well. My studies have opened me to so many new ways of listening to how God is present in our lives each day and how we are continually called to be living as members of the Church. Like Jesus walking with the disciples through their difficulties and lack of understanding, I have found the community at the CSTM to be compassionate, learned, and loving companions on the journey. Every summer, I return home to my catechism classes and Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement students and peers with the joy of the Resurrection, brimming with joy to share the Good News of all that I have learned. Ever since then, I have been striving to do a better job of listening before taking my first step in whichever direction I think I’ve discerned. When I look ahead to my upcoming marriage, the continued question of pursuing a Ph.D., and a new academic leadership position in V.E.Y.M., I have full confidence knowing the Lord walks before me. There is such comfort in not needing to fixate on a perfect 5- or 10-year plan for my future, or to know exactly how this degree will serve me professionally. In my time at the CSTM, I’ve experienced how God’s plans are beyond my wildest imaginations – and I’m excited to see where the next adventure will take me!
