Jade Finn was on a journey to find her calling professionally and spiritually.
A few moves later she has found some answers. Finn is originally from California but moved to Pittsburgh and eventually found her way to Bowie State where she started out in the sciences before changing majors.
The aspiring lawyer wasn’t always clear on what her major would be or how to deepen her faith.
The criminal justice major is the first freshman president of the Navigators, a club for students who are finding their faith. With ministries across the U.S. and abroad, Navigators is a Christian organization that helps students build a community of fellow believers while on their spiritual journey.
A self-described leader, Finn said she originally joined the organization to get closer to God. As president, she has learned about patience and how others view God.
“We are a trustful Christian organization,” Jade said.
The Navigators’ main policy is trust. Finn has built trust within the Navigators by insisting that anything said within the organization will never be repeated outside.
The Navigators are also a family-oriented organization, as they highly value family relationships and spending time with loved ones.
As a freshman, the journey to finding a career path can be difficult. But Finn found community in the Navigators. “I really love helping the community.”
Being the leader of the Navigators provided her with a sense of community and reinforced her need to contribute to the lives of others.
Her experiences as the freshman president of the Navigators translated into her career aspirations as well. Finn hopes to become a lawyer who helps juvenile delinquents — bridging the gap of injustice within the judicial system.
Even though being a lawyer wasn’t Finn’s first career choice when initially coming to Bowie State, she came to realize that her previous major in biology wasn’t for her. But eventually, she found a better match — criminal justice.
Finn’s journey at Bowie State University is not unlike other students of faith who seek a closer connection to God while sorting out who they want to become. “For Christian students, going to college means figuring out how to ‘keep faith’ and deepen it,” theology professor Brad East wrote in a 2023 article in Christianity Today.
East recommends that these students join a college ministry, make friends with other believers and welcome “strangers, newcomers, and outsiders” wherever they may be, at ballgames or in your dorm.
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The Navigators host a bible study every Monday at 8 p.m and Wednesday at 7 p.m. They also have NavLife on Thursdays at 7 p.m. For more information follow them on Instagram: @bsunavs.