“Everything came together for me”: Rebekah’s Story

I finished high school this past summer. After high school I really didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. I had different things I wanted to do, but by the time the beginning of the fall semester came around, I wasn’t actually doing any of these things. Some of my friends left for college, some were married and busy with work, and others were still in high school. 

And me? 

I didn’t know what I was doing with my life. I was afraid that a whole year would go by and I’d still be in the same spot, without having grown or learned anything new.

I had heard about Unbound, and began seriously looking into it in August. I poured over the Unbound Instagram page and watched the student testimonial videos. It sounded cool, but I honestly had no idea what Ascend really was. While the student testimonials all sounded really great, the skeptical part of me wondered if there were a lot of people that didn’t like Ascend, and didn’t share their testimonials. During this process I discovered that the first big Ascend event, APEX, was already happening. 

“Well shoot.” 

I wasn’t sure I wanted to hop right into a program that had already started, especially since I didn’t know anyone in it, or what exactly it would be like. But for some reason, I kept looking into it.

I remember being on the phone with my best friend, walking circles in our driveway, trying to explain what this Unbound thing was. I didn’t even know exactly what it was, but I was wondering if I should do it. It was a now or never decision. If I was going to do Ascend, I had to sign up now, otherwise I wouldn’t have this chance again until next year. I wasn’t sure if doing Ascend was the right decision, but I felt like I needed to do something big. And let me tell you, this felt like a BIG commitment for a last minute decision.

The community aspect sounded really cool to me, and I thought that I wanted to join Ascend. Big decisions scare me, but somehow I decided to go for it. Right after I called and enrolled, I was still wondering, was this the right decision? (If you can’t tell, I’m very indecisive).

Shortly after enrolling in Ascend, I joined my first team call (not the official call, just one that some of the students planned for fun). One of my first thoughts was, “Who are these weird people.” (Sorry guys, it must’ve just been me that was weird). Those people turned out to be super welcoming and super awesome! I have gotten to know my team so much better over the last couple months, and I literally love my team so much.

I would be lying to say it’s all been perfect and easy; joining last minute definitely had its own set of frustrations. But thinking back to the initial moment of decision, when I decided that I was actually doing this, I am so happy that I did choose to do Ascend! I love the community, and the focus on relationships.

When I met everyone at Basecamp, the second in-person event, everything came together for me. I didn’t really know what Basecamp was going to be like, and still didn’t fully understand what all Ascend was, before being at Basecamp. Arriving the first night, I got to finally meet some of my team members in person, and just felt like they genuinely wanted to hang out with me. I felt so welcomed that week, and got to know so many people. I also learned so much from all the sessions. I already had clicked with my team really well before Basecamp, but in-person, I was able to deepen those friendships, and also meet other students I had never talked to before. Meeting people in-person, that I had only ever seen on zoom or messaged on slack, was a really cool experience.

My favorite part of Ascend is the community. The in-person events have allowed me to get to know people on a much more real level. Being able to be a part of this community of people, while still living my daily life at home with my family, has been a blessing. I believe that to get the most out of this experience, you need to be willing to be open to getting to know others, and just be intentional about connecting with them. Being a part of Ascend has helped push me out of my comfort zone. Before this last fall I had never flown alone, but now I have flown multiple times without my family. I have been realizing more and more that trying new things is scary, but it can be even more amazing than it is scary. I have also learned so much through the Leadership courses already, and am excited to see how God grows me through these classes.

Ascend might not be for you. But for me, I am so happy that God led me to enroll. Sometimes you just have to trust God and do something. He will work it out for good!

Want to learn more about Ascend and see if it’s the right fit for your student? Schedule a call with the Unbound team today!