Ally’s Story

“I feel very valued by the community.”

During the early days of the pandemic, Ally worked not only the first summer of the internship program completely virtually, but also throughout the 2020-2021 school year. 

“I was obviously very lonely when everyone else went off to school,” Ally said. “It was nice to have somewhere to work and feel connected to the church and my community.”

Being connected through work and other social opportunities has kept Ally connected to the church and her community at home, even when she’s away at school. In particular, Ally identified the campus visits that Pastor Meredith and Pastor Kelsey have made throughout the year as being impactful. 

“Going and being at school is hard and it’s easy to lose sight of that important aspect of human connection,” Ally said. “Getting to keep my faith steady and confident throughout the year is really nice and meaningful.”

This summer, Ally is working both with ECHO as well as the mental health and neurodiversity ministries at Abiding Presence. 

“It feels really good that I’m able to connect with people in those related fields and spearhead getting those ministries more publicized.

The past three summers, Ally helped with the children’s ministry and summer camp program. Ally says this experience helped her learn about herself and what she wants in a career.

“I went into the internship program thinking that I wanted to be an elementary school teacher,” Ally said. “I got to learn that that wasn’t really my vibe, and I was way more passionate about mental health.

Currently, Ally is a rising senior at the University of Mary Washington studying psychology with a minor in neuroscience. After college, Ally wants to go to graduate school to become a clinical psychologist. 

“I feel like it’s extremely beneficial to have a program that’s very open-minded and accepting because I feel like this generation is very different from generations that have existed before in the church,” Ally said. “I think it’s very important to have a program that highlights that and treats it as a strength.”