Keevan Statz

Hometown, State: Lincoln, Nebraska

Ministries involved with at St. Lawrence: : Good Company (Blog Team), Institute for Faith and Culture (St. Lawrence Connects & Grace Through Adventure), Liturgy (Lector & Usher), Spiritual Direction, Focus Bible Study (Formerly - Spring 2020)

What would life at KU look like without St. Lawrence?: I consider the University of Kansas to be a special place, but being at KU without the St. Lawrence Center would make campus a desolate place for me. Reading about the scope and activity of the SLC was one of my primary factors in choosing to attend KU. This place is not only one of community and friendship, but also of passion and purpose. For many doctoral students, their time in a PhD program is lonely and isolated, but my experience has been the opposite due to the St. Lawrence Center. The St. Lawrence Center has given me a place of belonging in the midst of my day-to-day graduate coursework, research interests and teaching agenda, and I am eternally grateful to be involved with St. Lawrence.

Describe community. : My experience with community materialized when I faced the harsh reality of not having community. After finishing my Master's degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, I moved to Boston for a position at Harvard University. Upon arriving in Beantown, I did not know anyone and was overwhelmed by the city's vastness. It took me a long time to grow in community in Boston and make friends. However, at KU, that was not the case as I was immediately welcomed into the community at the St. Lawrence Center, even though I had a bit more "life experience" than most new students. I am forever grateful to my fellow students and the staff at the St. Lawrence Center for fostering such a unique and welcoming place.

Where do your deepest commitments lie? : My deepest commitment lies in my faith and relationship with Christ. My identity is rooted in Him, although it took me a long time to understand that fact. As His Beloved Son, I have learned that my life is most complete and full when He is at the center. I am continuing to learn and grow how to live that out on a daily basis, but I now know that He is at the center. When I am pursuing Christ is when I am at my best, with my family, friends, other relationships, schoolwork and in leisure.