Holly McCuistion
COURTESY PHOTO
Holly McCuistion dreams of “combining environmental engineering with missionary work.” A sophomore at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, she would like to solve water-quality problems in refugee camps in developing countries.
A member of Wimberley (Texas) United Methodist Church, McCuistion is pursuing a degree in environmental engineering with the aid of United Methodist loans and scholarships provided by Student Day offerings. The denomination will observe United Methodist Student Day on Nov. 30 this year.
“College debt is a scary thing,” McCuistion admits. “When it comes time to pay for [college] each semester, I have to think about loans and money and how these things are going to affect me for the rest of my life.
“Money stresses me out,” she adds. “Tuition is very high [at SMU], and I depend on scholarships and loans to be able to pay for it each year. The United Methodist loan I qualified for is simple and easy, and I feel safer taking a loan from the church.”
In sixth grade, McCuistion went on her first mission trip to Edna, Texas. A few years later, she was part of a high school mission trip with UMArmy (United Methodist Action Reach-Out-Mission by Youth). For several years, she served as a youth advisory board member for the UMArmy Southwest Texas chapter. A month after beginning college, she was elected vice president of a new UMArmy North by Northwest chapter in the Dallas area.
“It was through my experiences on mission trips that I decided I wanted to help people as [a vocation],” she says. “Since I’ve come to school at SMU and gotten a job in a research lab and done projects with Engineers Without Borders, I like to feel like I’m actively dong something to make a difference.
“When I see photos or hear stories from friends who have gone to Africa and done exactly what I want to do, I know that, more than anything, I want to make a child smile because I helped make his/her water safe to drink.”
My faith defines me
A lifelong United Methodist now active in Greenland Hills United Methodist Church in Dallas, McCuistion says, “I am who I am because of my faith.
“I think my faith is what led me to decide what I wanted my career to be,” she says. “It was because of mission trips that I decided I wanted to help people and I wanted to work with nature and the outdoors.”
“College students need support from the church,” she says. “Yes, there are a lot of college ministries available to us, and we can make the choice to participate. But I think the church could maybe find a better way of reaching out to those who aren’t making the effort. To actually have the whole United Methodist Church take a stance to say, ‘We support you in things and problems that college students are facing.’ Just to remind us, ‘We are here for you and God is here for you.’
“The United Methodist loans and scholarships I have received definitely fall into this category of support.”
Gifts made as Student Day offerings support United Methodist scholarships and the United Methodist Loan Fund, administered by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
Heather Peck Travis is a freelance journalist living in Glasgow, Ky.
United Methodist Student Day is Nov. 30
Find other stories and materials to help tell the United Methodist Student Day story at www.umcgiving.org/umsd. Order posters and leaflet/envelopes by calling United Methodist Communications Customer Service, 888-346-3862. While Nov. 30 is the official date for the observance, churches may receive the offering at any time.