Most people would find it intimidating to have hundreds of high schoolers’ college choices riding on the event they are planning. Sophomore communications major Cathryn Collier sees it as a privilege.

As the Biola Bound assistant, Collier helps coordinate each Biola Bound visit event, bringing 50 students to campus for a weekend to see what the university has to offer. There are numerous tiny details to work out and responsibility often weighs on her shoulders, but Collier is honored to help high school students make the crucial decision of where to attend college.

“I would not be content in this job if I was doing it just for the money. I truly view it as a ministry,” Collier said. “It’s cool to be able to pour in the lives of these students.”

 Looking out for and loving others

Collier has a passion for people, especially groups like the homeless, the trafficked and minorities that are looked down upon and oppressed.

“I really feel called that God wants me to be a voice for the voiceless,” Collier said.

To fuel her love for advocacy, she volunteers with Compassion International, traveling to churches motivating people to sponsor children in foreign countries.

She practices what she preaches — for the past four years, she has sponsored an Indian boy named Santhosh. Collier lit up as she talked about her relationship with him, which only exists in letters for now. Their bond is strong despite the physical distance.

“I literally feel like his mom,” Collier said. “It’s my ultimate dream — ultimate — to take a trip with Dalit Freedom Network and be able to visit him over there.”

Give and take

Giving a portion of her income to 13-year-old Santhosh every month is a sacrifice, she said, but it keeps her perspective on money balanced.

“[It serves] as a reminder to constantly be giving back, and as a reminder to be grateful for those who have given to me so much,” she said.

Collier pays for school on her own, but said she sees God providing for her each semester in unbelievable ways.

“I’ve had people who don’t even know me who lovingly have written me $1,500 checks — such a testimony of who God is,” she said.

And the paychecks that she receives? They go straight back to Biola. Considering the educational status of many women around the world, it is an honor, Collier said, to have the ability to work and support herself.

“The fact that I’m a woman and I can read is huge enough, but the fact that I am able to gain higher education is wonderful … I genuinely feel honored,” she said.

Focusing on the future — near and far

As far as a career goes, the future is still uncertain, but Collier understands what she is skilled at and how she wants to use it.

“I know that I want to be trained and equipped to use my voice and my writing skills to be able to express the needs of others on their behalf,” she said.

Collier often longs to venture out and save the world through global missions. Until she can fully dedicate her time to advocacy, however, she sees her next few years at Biola as an opportunity to be faithful with the relationships and tasks God has put in front of her.

“It’s easy for me to get ahead of myself,” Collier said. “I’ve just been really convicted [that] if I can’t love my roommate, if I can’t love my family … yet I can go love on an orphan, that is just sheer hypocrisy.”