Fellowship to Family: How God Brings Belonging — Hannah’s Story

In Shanghai, China, Hannah grew up in a Christian home and was raised in the church. She was involved in youth group and served on the worship team. 

Halfway across the world for college, Hannah was lonely and grappling with her faith. 

“When I went to the University of California San Diego (UCSD) for undergrad, that was the first time I had to decide for myself if my faith was my own, or if it was just because all of my friends also grew up in the church,” she said. 

As an introvert, Hannah knew she wouldn’t make any friends unless she put herself out there, but it was a slow process. In her junior year, she finally decided to commit to InterVarsity, but at times, she still struggled with feeling like she didn’t fit in or belong.

An Instant Home

When Hannah moved on to graduate school at Columbia University in New York City, she got plugged into the InterVarsity Graduate chapter there right away. From the beginning, she noticed how warm everyone was. 

The moment the campus staff, Amy, came over to greet Hannah, she embraced her in a welcoming hug. Amy reminded Hannah of her mom, as she was around the same age as her parents. 

Suddenly, Hannah realized how much she missed home and the feeling of familial belonging. She didn’t expect the ways the graduate chapter could provide that family for her.

Shortly after joining the graduate ministry, Hannah began to serve on the leadership team, helping lead the international student Bible study and worship. 

“Being able to serve on leadership team and invite people over to have dinner with us or to cook for them and have dinner together, we're creating family here,” Hannah said. 

Through serving other international students, Hannah built friendships with people from many different backgrounds. She learned how to be more open and talk about Jesus in a way that was respectful of other cultures and religions, while still sharing how Jesus was different.  

Faith Inspired Career

Not only did God work through Hannah’s leadership with international students but also in her major. She realized how her studies in public health aligned with her faith, learning about and promoting community safety and caring about equity and justice. 

“I care about serving the underserved because every person is valued equally,” Hannah said. “Every person is loved by God.” 

Seeing this connection, Hannah also recognized the opportunity her studies gave her to not only share Jesus in her Bible study, but also with others in her classes. She became eager to have conversations with her classmates, using the common ground they already shared.

“Christianity gets a bad rep,” she said. “But one thing we can all agree on is we all entered the public health field because we want to help people.” 

Taking the First Step

To those who are feeling how Hannah was, trying to decide if they want to trust Jesus with their life, Hannah says:

“Take that first step and be expecting to see where God takes you. You can't imagine how good God is. He's not going to solve all your problems, but you're walking through life with him and that is a sweetness that you can't experience with anything else.”

From making the faith she was raised with her own, to finding community that was like family, to serving fellow international students, to pursuing her calling with God at the center, one thing is clear — God is at work in and through Hannah.  

To connect with an InterVarsity chapter near you, click here.