Finding family and a future with campus ministry

When Mita Sudhakar ’23 stepped into her first meeting of InterVarsity (IV) Christian Fellowship at Lenoir-Rhyne four years ago, she couldn’t have known it would become a defining moment both for her spirituality and her career goals. After graduation, the psychology and youth and family ministry double major will bring the support and growth she has experienced with IV to college students across two states as a full-time member of the InterVarsity Carolinas team.

“Coming to LR, I knew I wanted to be a part of the campus ministry because in high school I was a part of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I really enjoyed that community because it’s just different when you're all the same age exploring faith together. When I got here, I looked on the website under spiritual organizations, and I found InterVarsity.”

At that first meeting, the IV group only had eight members, but Sudhakar felt at home right away in the family-style atmosphere.

“I remember walking out thinking, oh my goodness, I think I just made some of my first friends at LR. It felt like this was the reason I was supposed to come here,” Sudhakar shared. “I felt welcomed. I felt loved and seen, and I’ve been part of the group since the second week of my freshman year.”

As a sophomore, Sudhakar became a small group leader, then took over as president of the chapter during her junior year. During this time, she  helped the group persevere through the challenges of COVID, ultimately growing the chapter while maintaining that familial atmosphere.

“When I first enrolled at LR, I wanted to be a counselor, so I started with my psychology major,” she explained. “As I got more involved with IV, I got more interested in ministry. The skills overlap a lot, too. I really love the demographic of college students because it can be such a lonely time without the support systems they’re used to — it feels kind of like flailing around out here in the wild. I decided I want to be a person for them.”

In addition to leading LR’s InterVarsity chapter, Sudhakar serves as a resident assistant in Morgan and Fritz-Conrad Halls and as a teaching assistant for a history course. As part of her major in youth and family ministry, she is currently interning with the Office of Spiritual Life. However, her academic endeavors have been as formative as her extracurricular ones.

Sudhakar credits many of her professors with creating a deep impact on her education and personal growth. One of the earliest life-changing classes she took was an introductory philosophy survey with Michael Deckard, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, in her freshman year.

“At that point, I still thought I would learn things that would add up, and my thinking was pretty rigid. And he doesn’t realize it, but his pushing back with questions helped me realize that I needed to have an open mind when it came to learning, especially having two majors like mine where there are so many gray areas.”

She hopes her understanding of the gray areas in both psychology and ministry will allow her to serve those students coming to campuses across the Carolinas who need some extra compassion and support to continue to grow in their faith.

“When I came to LR, I wanted to put my roots in, and I’ve learned that wherever you are you really need to invest fully to reap the most benefits. That’s what I’ve done, and I want to pass that message and example along,” said Sudhakar.