We could not be more proud to say that this project design has been created by one of our very own alumni! Kristin (Collins) Prince '18 was not only a student parishioner but was a Campus Ministry Intern, women's group leader, and involved at St. John Student Center in many more ways during her years at MSU. Here, she shares some of her own memories and inspiration for the design:

When I was a member of the Theotokos Women's Group, I'd always see large first meetings at the beginning of the year and then a subsequent decline of students attending events and would wonder why they didn't come back and how we could have gotten them to return. As an interior designer, I believe that the space you're in powerfully impacts you in ways both noticed and unnoticed, and I wanted to use my gifts to help create a space where students would be drawn in and would want to come back.

I think modern culture has profiled church as ancient, stuffy, and irrelevant. I think having a church space dedicated to students that feels fresh, modern and updated challenges that stereotype and can draw in questioning or apathetic students to give faith in college a chance.

While you were an MSU student, why would you spend time in the student lounge?
Free Oreos and oversized bean bags were nice, but it also felt affirming to have a semi-private space where I could get out of my dorm or apartment and still have a place that felt like home.

Do you have a favorite memory in the student lounge?
When my husband first asked me to be his girlfriend. I'd say it worked out pretty well!