A New Direction

Like many teenagers, Heather Hall thought she had it all figured out in high school.

And as it turns out, she almost did...but God had one twist in store for her.

Hall graduated from Orange Lutheran in 2012 and was the third recipient of the Nancy Paul Teaching Scholarship as a graduating senior. Her plan was to attend Biola University and major in Christian Ministry, with her focus on returning to OLu and teaching theology, a plan that was backed by those at her high school alma mater.

“My plan was to intern with Ms. Shevlin or Ms. Salzberg after I graduated from Biola, and Mr. Eklund said we could work it out,” Hall said. “But I believe God changed my heart.”

As her college career progressed, Hall began to feel her passion for teaching sway in a different direction. In December of 2015, she interned at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa and felt that her calling was now more directly tied to ministry work.

Nearing her college graduation from Biola in the spring of 2016, instead of further pursuing her teaching career, Hall decided to call on the Lord for guidance.

“About two weeks before graduation, I took a day and told God I’m just going to fast and pray,” Hall said. “And that day, I got a job offer. Everyone was asking me what my plans were and everyone else was getting jobs. So I told God I was going to take this day and He showed up.”

Heather Hall '12

Hall took her talents for working with teenagers to North Coast Church in Vista, California, where she is now the Women’s Director for High School Ministry, working specifically with junior and senior high school girls as a mentor and what she calls “a consistent Christian woman in their lives.”

For Hall, Ms. Shevlin, Ms. Salzberg and others played a similar role of consistency and inspiration in her life.

“When I was at OLu, I really looked up to my teachers. They had such an influence on me that I wanted to be like them and have that impact on other students. And I think that’s through teaching, even though I’m doing it in a different way.

"The teachers at OLu care more about your journey and process and spiritual walk of life rather than where you end up. They believe where you end up, God has placed you there."

Despite her career path alteration, which meant Hall did not receive the second half of the NPTS financial support, she always maintained the support of those at OLu.

“Heather is an amazing young woman who truly used her God-given gifts and talents while in high school at Orange Lutheran,” Ms. Shevlin said. “Although Heather didn’t end up teaching in a classroom, she is working at a church where she teaches God’s Word daily to students. She is doing great things in teaching the next generation with an eternal purpose for the Kingdom.”

And for Hall, she couldn’t imagine God having inserted her in a better spot.

“It’s the most amazing thing I could ever imagine,” Hall said of her current position. “I walk kids through what it means to have a relationship with God. I love seeing high schoolers desire to know God. I don’t know all the answers to their questions, but I love figuring it out together.”

And when she’s going through the process of guiding a young woman, Hall harkens back to the lessons she learned at OLu.

“When I am doing my job, I like to think of how I was in high school. It really was the teachers. They had a lasting impact on me. So when I am facing a situation with these girls, I remember what Ms. Shevlin said to me at that moment, and share it with them.

"Who I wanted to be and who I am has been inspired by OLu."