Editor’s Note: Blog entry is written by Jessica and only posted by Heather.

Hey guys! My name is Jessica Metcalf and I’m from Maiden, NC, a tiny town about two and a half hours west of Durham. I am a rising junior at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I’m studying Public Relations. Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor with a desire to help people. Then I realized that the medical field was about so much more than a typical Grey’s Anatomy episode, and I decided it wasn’t for me. I went into my freshman year of UNC having no idea what my future held. It was overwhelming, yet incredibly humbling to walk blind and fully trust the Lord’s plan for my life. Before registering for classes at the end of my freshman year, I was forced to sit down and declare a major. Eventually, I settled with Journalism and Mass Communication. I say settled because I wasn’t quite sure if that was in my future.

This past year, the Lord has just solidified my decision to work in Public Relations and has shown me over and over again that He has a future planned for me in this field. It’s a relief to finally be able to answer someone when they ask the dreaded question, “So what do you want to do with your life?”

My summer at DurhamCares was literally dropped into my lap in the form of a church bulletin at The Summit Church. These past few weeks at DurhamCares have been exciting and incredibly encouraging. I’m working on planning the Durham tours, which will introduce Durham residents to new parts of the city and offer opportunities to engage with their neighbors in a new way.
I’m often so absorbed in the UNC bubble during the school year, focusing on school and other activities,  I forget that there’s so much going on in my community around me. I’ve been at UNC for two years now, yet I’d never bothered learning more about such an amazing city a few miles down the road from me. As I learn more about this city from people I meet and talk to, I’m beginning to see why Durham is so amazing.

It’s refreshing to work with a group of people who truly have a heart for Durham and for engaging residents with their communities. I’m looking forward to the learning more from DurhamCares the rest of the summer and truly living out the phrase, “love your neighbor.”

There are no comments for this entry yet.