From Uninterested to All-In: Celeste’s Story

Faithful Foundations 

On paper, Celeste had the kind of upbringing that could’ve qualified her to be chapter president as soon as she stepped on campus. 

A child to faithful Christian parents, she grew up doing “all the right Christian things.” She went to church every Sunday, memorized scripture at Awana, and participated in her parent’s Bible study, where she and several adults would go through the Bible “line by line for four hours.”  

But when she began college, Celeste had little interest in pursuing her faith.  Instead, she decided to put faith aside and “see what was out there.” 

“Growing up, I didn’t really feel like anything was my own. I didn’t want to be a Christian because it just felt like a set of rules and things I had to attend,” she said. “It didn’t feel like a real relationship with Christ.” 

She didn't end up exploring for long. When her plan to room with friends from high school fell apart, she ended up living with a random roommate named Ashlyn. 

Ashlyn had a different vision for her freshman year. She wanted to dig into her faith and immediately began searching for a campus ministry, eventually dragging Celeste along with her. Thanks to Ashlyn’s influence, Celeste went to her first InterVarsity event, then a Bible study, then fall conference. 

Meeting the Father at Fall Con 

After agreeing to attend fall conference, Celeste grew curious about InterVarsity and its leaders. She searched social media and was shocked to find a campus minister’s Instagram posts, where he openly shared his journey of struggling with sexual sin. 

One night at the conference, Celeste gathered with other students and staff around a bonfire. After a time of worship, InterVarsity staff offered to pray for students. Celeste approached Chasen, the campus staff member she had first seen on Instagram. Remembering how vulnerably he had shared in his posts, she felt safe to be vulnerable too. She broke down and confessed her years-long struggle with porn addiction. 

“It was the first time I ever told anybody,” she said. “Instead of being met with what I was expecting from a Christian, which was judgment, he received me with grace.” 

Chasen gently reminded Celeste that despite her brokenness, Jesus loved her. Their time in prayer completely redefined Celeste’s view of God, from distant and judgmental to a devoted Father who corrected her from a place of love. 

“I thought, ‘Wait a minute. God, who is just and hates sin is also Jesus who loved me enough to die for me.’” 

Overwhelmed by her new understanding of the gospel and God’s love for her, Celeste made an adult decision to follow Christ that night.   

Little Yeses and Leadership 

After recommitting her life to Christ, Celeste tackled her faith with her whole being. 

“I’m a ‘go all in or don’t go at all’ kind of person,” Celeste explains. “I wanted this to be the very center of who I am as a person. I wanted to be Celeste, but with Jesus in the middle.”   

Thus, she began “a year of little yeses.” Yes to getting baptized. Yes to going to chapter camp. Yes to sharing her testimony with her community. And later, during her sophomore year, a hesitant yes to leadership. 

Encouraged by a community of fellow students who were also taking risks and saying their own yeses to Jesus, Celeste realized she needed to keep stepping out in faith. "I knew that if I wanted to continue growing, I would have to keep saying yes and pouring into others the same way people had poured into me so I could grow," she said. 

Celeste went on to lead in several roles during her time in college, serving her InterVarsity chapter as a large group apprentice, Bible study leader, emcee, and service coordinator. 

As she grew busier with leadership and her pre-med coursework, Celeste relied on spiritual practices to help her continue building her personal relationship with God. 

“I was doing all these things, and I just felt so overwhelmed and hectic. The thing that always brought me back down to earth, and filled me with peace and comfort, was my time with God,” said Celeste. “What really mattered most was just spending time with him. That’s what grounded me.” 

God’s Purpose in Every Passion 

Now, with a degree in biomedical engineering, Celeste is headed to grad school to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. 

Her discipleship through InterVarsity continues to shape her desire to commit every part of her life to Jesus, giving purpose to her studies and to however God may call her to serve in the future. 

“I’m not just working for a degree, a diploma, and flipping a tassel,” Celeste said. “I’m learning all these things and doing all this work so I can become someone God can use in a real, tangible way—to help the people he wants to help.”