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After six years as a software engineer, Kathy never expected that her involvement with Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) would become the catalyst for discovering her religious calling. Today, she's in her first year of formation with the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, a journey that began through the friendships and leadership opportunities she found within the YCP Atlanta chapter.

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Kathy's path to religious life wasn't straightforward. A 2018 Georgia Tech graduate, she first attempted to discern religious life in 2019 but didn't find a community that felt like home. "I felt God just invited me to close the door," she recalls, "and I knew if He ever desired for me to discern again, he would reopen it."

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That door began to reopen through her friendship with Ivona Kolak, then-president of YCP Atlanta, who invited Kathy to serve as co-director of technology in 2022. "I just felt really drawn to serve somewhere," Kathy explains. "That invitation from Ivona was like an invitation from God to use my skills as a software engineer to help with technology things in ministry too."

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Through monthly one-on-one meetings and shared service, Kathy and Ivona developed a deep friendship, discussing their prayer lives and finding joy in serving together on the YCP Atlanta leadership team. When Ivona began discerning with the Salesian Sisters, Kathy accompanied her friend through the process, though she was dating someone at the time and didn't consider religious life for herself at the time.

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The turning point came during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with other young professionals from YCP.  There, Kathy encountered Teresa Williams, a consecrated woman with Regnum Christi who also serves as a spiritual director for YCP. "Every time I heard her speak, I felt drawn to have a heart like hers," Kathy remembers.

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Months later, at a discernment social in Atlanta featuring various religious communities, Kathy found herself most drawn to the Salesian Sisters—the same community Ivona had joined. "I just recognized that with them and with her, my heart resonated a lot," she says. After visiting their convent, she felt the same joy and family spirit that she felt while serving at YCP Atlanta. 

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The Salesian Sisters, founded by St. John Bosco, focus their ministry on young people with the core belief that "it's not enough to just love them—they have to know that they're loved, too." This mission resonates deeply with Kathy's experience serving young Catholic professionals.

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Reflecting on her six years in the workforce, Kathy sees clear connections between her professional experience and religious life. As a lead software engineer, she learned that success meant building up her team rather than herself—a lesson that translates directly to community life. "Your goal isn't to build success for yourself anymore," she explains. "It's about loving your community and making sure everyone's in harmony together."

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For young professionals struggling to find purpose in demanding work environments, Kathy offers practical wisdom: "Find time for rest, but also persevere. One of the biggest things you can do for the Lord is loving the people there, even if it's not your passion." She learned that bringing Christ to colleagues through excellent work and patient mentoring was itself a form of ministry.

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Now nearing the end of her first year of formation, Kathy reports feeling the same joy and peace that initially drew her to both YCP service and the Salesian community—"if not more." Her story illustrates how organizations like Young Catholic Professionals can provide not just networking opportunities, but authentic spaces for spiritual growth and vocational discernment—places where meaningful connections lead to extraordinary outcomes. 

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"I continue to pray for young Catholic professionals," Kathy concludes, "that everyone can find their purpose and what God's calling them to do."

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Her journey from technology director to religious sister demonstrates how YCP creates meaningful connections, forged through friendship, service, and shared faith, that lead exactly where God intends.