“Attending the Sanctuary student retreat was one of the best decisions I have made as a college student”

I grew up attending the Unitarian Universalist Society in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where I had completed multiple OWL programs, written a credo statement, and completed a bridging ceremony as I transitioned into adulthood. Deciding to attend college in Massachusetts was a stressful yet exciting step into the next chapter of my life, and I figured that my UU background would slowly fade as I became busy with homework, a job, and college clubs.

My aunt is a UU minister in North Andover, MA, and reached out to me during my freshman year about Sanctuary Boston. She sent me a Google Form for a young adult retreat that would be happening at a church in Brookline and suggested that I check it out. My first semester at Brandeis had been full of new adventures and experiences, but I’d been missing having a community filled with people that I knew shared the same values as me.

Attending the Sanctuary student retreat was one of the best decisions I have made as a college student because it opened the door to Sanctuary Boston and its adjacent campus ministry program. Through Sanctuary Boston and campus ministry, I have met friends from all over the Boston area and have been able to pursue my own spiritual journey at the same time. I am so grateful to have been introduced to inspiring mentors and students through these organizations and that I now have a place outside of my college campus to call home.

-Vera Witte