I am faced with one of the most prominent questions among people my age: what am I going to do with the rest of my life? Fortunately, I do have a few answers: after graduation I want to join the NET Ministries of Canada, and then I want to go to university.

Where I want to go to university isn’t a very difficult choice either. For the past few years, my dream school has been the Franciscan University of Steubenville. This is where I reach the “leap of faith” part.

I guess I should start with explaining a few things about the university. FUS is a private Catholic university in Steubenville, Ohio. It was founded in 1946 by a group of Franciscan friars. It is known for its strong Catholic education, fellowship and campus life.

I first heard about FUS a few years ago, and since then I have done quite a bit of research on the school. The more I read, the more I am convinced that this is the perfect school for me and that God is calling me there. The only down side about attending is the huge price tag that accompanies FUS, especially for an international student like myself.

You often hear about people losing their confidence in their religion when they are in university: there are so many conflicting beliefs that it can be hard to keep your own when all you want is to fit in and adapt to your new life.

I want to attend a strong Catholic school where I can get a great education and still have a strong and active faith life. I wish that there were more schools like this, especially in Canada, but FUS seems to be unique when it comes to how strongly faith-based it is. I just don’t know how I can possibly manage to get there. I definitely do not have the thousands of dollars needed for a four-year degree lying around.

For me, I think this is one of the biggest tests of my faith in God. The very logical and realistic part of me is saying that it can never happen, but I know that if God wants me to attend FUS, I will get there. I just have to work towards it as hard as I can and put my trust in the Lord. If I never get there, I know that God has had something else planned for me all along, and I just hope that I am listening hard enough when He tells me what it is.

Regardless, I can feel secure in my future, knowing that it is in God’s hands, no matter how scary it can seem.

Faith does some pretty amazing things.

(Hermack, 17, is a home-schooled Grade 11 student in Grand-Bay Westfield, N.B.)