My Berkeley Story: A Senior's Reflections

I decided to come to Cal under strange circumstances. I was sitting with some of my high school senior friends inside of chipotle, talking about our college choices and such, and after an especially delicious bite, I remember looking up and saying “You know what, I think I’m going to Berkeley.” After a couple seconds of silence, my friend was like "Yeah? I'll go with you." Then the next guy was like "Yeah sure I'll come too." By the end of lunch, all five of us were going to Cal.

When we got there, we were like family. We all ended up living in Unit 2, ate at the DC together every night, played bridge on the weekends…it was good times. The issue, however, was that I wasn’t spending time with the body. Although an older sister in Christ had introduced me to New Church and Campus Crusade, I just kinda ran in and out of meetings and services. I enjoyed the events and Sunday morning worship, but I wasn't comfortable because I was trying to keep my personal life and my spiritual life separate. I figured that if I let God into this new part of my life, I would miss out on the Berkeley experience.

But I was wrong.

By the end of my freshman year, I found myself just as spiritually immature and ill-equipped as when I came in. I also found myself unable to pour genuinely into relationships that were important to me. I found myself generally lacking.

Thankfully, God didn't leave me there. He led me into community with the older men at Campus Crusade and New Church who taught me what it meant to live in Christ at UC Berkeley. As I tried to walk with Christ through my second and third years at Cal, God used these men to teach me, train me, and, most importantly, share their lives with me.

Now I'm one of those older guys, and (amazingly) God has been able to use me to commit these things to faithful men, that they may be able to teach others also. I thought allowing God into my life at Cal would ruin it. Instead, growing in my faith and being able to be a part of God's work on the Berkeley campus have been the best parts of my Berkeley experience.

"So, Justin, what are you doing next year?" I think I've heard that question about two or three bajillion times this past month. Anyways, after about a year's consideration of my God-given talents and passions, I've decided to apply for a one-year internship with Campus Crusade for Christ at UC Berkeley with the goal of reaching many for Christ, discipling men into Christ-likeness, and preparing them for a lifetime of ministry in whatever vocation or location they're called to.

From the first seemingly random decision to come to Cal to this start of the rest of my life, God has been watching over me and guiding me through the best and the worst. He's with you now also! Listen for His guidance - He has your Berkeley experience planned already.