Will Long
Hometown, State: Wellington, Kansas
What would life at KU look like without St. Lawrence?: Empty and meaningless with no authentic friendships. My life would be lived at the surface level
What is the biggest risk of faith you took at KU?: I think the biggest risk of faith I took at KU would be deciding to go on a mission trip my spring semester of sophomore year. At the time, I was not formed in my faith at all and lived a very empty lifestyle. That trip was the first time I actually lived mission to some capacity, and it fired me up to go deeper into my faith.
How would you describe your experience of community at St. Lawrence?: My experience of community at St. Lawrence has been very fulfilling. I originally started coming to SLC my freshman year and I thought the people here were really weird for taking their faith so seriously. However, after spending four years (the first two off-and-on) at SLC, I have found some of my absolute best friends at KU and in life. The community as a whole was welcoming from the start, and once I got past my own insecurities, I was finally able to engage with a group of people that made me feel like I belonged here
How are you called to build community after college?: Finding a community to be apart of after college is a very intimidating thing, and it’s something that I am wholeheartedly wary of. However, I think that it’s important to maintain developed relationships while entering into new communities and, in some way, bringing the two together.
Who has been one of your greatest guides at St. Lawrence? How did they guide you?: I have gotten very close with a few of the male focus missionaries on campus here — Kelvin, Nate and John Michael. Kelvin was really the first person that I noticed living an attractive virtuous life. He always carried so much joy, and as a wounded kid, I craved that, but I didn’t think it was possible for me. But Kelvin walked with me for two years and showed me that I too am worthy of happiness and love and fulfillment.
How have you grown in interior freedom?: I think the biggest thing that I’ve grown in whilst at KU has been self-awareness, which I think has led to a growth in interior freedom as well. Being able to process and understand my insecurities, where they come from, and how I handle them has allowed me to make necessary changes in my life and bring those insecurities into prayer. By realizing that I’m not alone in this fight and that I have the Lord on my side, my conscience has been more at ease and I have been able to live much more as myself and not what society or my parents or my friends want me to be.
Where do your deepest commitments lie at this point in your life?: I would say that my deepest commitments lie in my vocation right now. As an accounting student, I am pursuing a master’s degree to further advance my career in accounting. However, I think there’s also a commitment to living out virtue and mission that I have accepted by way of saying yes to the Gospel.
Describe a situation where your faith impacted someone else.: Our faith can impact others at even the most improbable of times. I was sitting at a bar earlier this year with some of my roommates and our neighbors, and we were just having a drink or two on a Thursday night as a social outing. One of our neighbors, who’s now a good friend of mine, starting talking to me, and he told me that I have inspired him as a Catholic. He essentially told me that he sees me as I see many Catholic leaders in my life — people living virtue even when the world comes out against it. My neighbor has since started coming to mass with me and we’ve had more spiritual conversations than I’ve had with any of my agnostic roommates.