Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Baugh.
Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
From day one, God had me on a great adventure. I was born in the Philippines and my brother was born in Hong Kong. We then moved to Norway, CT, San Antonio, and Miami where I went to high school. This travel gave me a great appreciation for people as well as a desire to learn and grow. It also gave me a bit of a restless heart, as I searched for my place in the world.
I went to undergrad at Trinity University in San Antonio and after graduation, I worked at Merrill Lynch. After a couple of years, I went to grad school to get my MBA at A&M. I was recruited by a financial consulting firm that ultimately brought me to Dallas, TX. The company delayed my start-date, so I ended up having 8 months off in between grad school and my new job. For the first time in a long while, I didn’t have a work deadline or an exam, so it was truly a unique opportunity for me to step back and take stock of who I was and where I was going. This led to a process of intense soul-searching as I tried to figure out my purpose in life.
I thought a lot about my faith during this time. My Mom definitely shared the Catholic faith with us, but I realized that my faith was surface level. I called myself Catholic, but I didn’t really know what I believed, and I definitely didn’t have a prayer life.
After a few months of asking God to help me, I remember a defining moment one day where I felt an outpouring of God’s love and mercy. It was at that moment that I decided I wanted to be an authentic Catholic and that I was committed to following Christ for the rest of my life.
This profound conversion experience in my Faith ultimately led to the inspiration for Young Catholic Professionals. I knew there had to be other young Catholics like myself who were committed to learning how to live in the world without being of the world – people who wanted help living their Catholic faith in daily life, including the workplace. In the three months before my job started, I recruited friends to help me start the group, I called successful executives to be speakers, and I managed to get quarterly sponsorship from a local company.
What started as just an inspiration from the Holy Spirit some 7 years ago has now become a rapidly growing national non-profit organization.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing worthwhile is easy. There have definitely been struggles along the way. I’ve learned to take calculated risks. Not every battle is worth all of my energy or else I will become burned out. I’ve certainly experienced moments of sheer exhaustion where it was clear I wasn’t strategic about managing my time and energies in a way that was prudent. I would suggest having a close circle of confidants who challenge and encourage you. Try not to put your self-worth into the success of your venture or it will quickly lose its joy.
Another struggle I had was learning how to respond to the many opinions people shared about the direction I should take the non-profit. I think it’s important to gather insights, wisdom and suggestions from other people, but we have to be careful not to let too many opinions distract us from achieving our goal.
As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “the truth is not determined by a majority vote”!! At the same time, we should always be open and grateful for helpful ideas and innovative solutions!
Young Catholic Professionals – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) exists to raise up a new generation to serve the Church and the world. Through challenging, training, and inspiring young adults, YCP offers dynamic programs to empower Catholic professionals in their twenties and thirties to Work in Witness for Christ.
Through a time-tested membership model funded with modest budgets and run by local volunteer leadership, YCP chapters offer numerous and accessible resources to help young adults deepen their spiritual lives while excelling personally and professionally. From mentoring opportunities with seasoned professionals to hearing faithful executives discuss hiring practices, YCP provides a diverse menu of Catholic-infused programs, experiences, and teaching not typical of most traditional parish-based young adult ministries.
A national organization, YCP provides the support and structure for YCP chapters across the United States to foster authentic communities for members seeking mentorship, personal holiness, joyful evangelization, and cultural renewal. Under the strategic governance and oversight of the National Board, YCP’s National Staff oversee the training, development, and implementation of all chapter programs. Subsequently, local chapters can enjoy all the benefits of a large organization without the typical costs. The National Staff seeks to form and nourish chapters, keep chapter costs low, promote the YCP brand, and unify the national movement.
From conducting its first focus group in 2010 and launching its first chapter in Dallas in 2013, YCP has expanded from North Texas to across the United States. A relatively young organization, YCP continues to mature at every level with wonderful growth opportunity for the future:
– Five full-time employees on the National Staff
– Increase in trained chapter leaders from 8 to 120 volunteers
– 18 thriving chapters in major cities from cost-to-coast
– More than 300 volunteers invest over 20,000 hours in chapter leadership
– 245% increase in number of people attending monthly chapter events (2016)
– Reach 1,000 young professionals directly each month
– Exponential online growth with social media footprint of more than 25,000 people
– Inquiries from more than 65 cities expressing interest in new chapter launches
– 24 bishops have endorsed or requested YCP chapters in their cities
Many who find their way to Young Catholic Professionals are lost and lonely. What they find when they join are other young people with the same struggles and desires! In this authentic, faith-based community, they are able express themselves without fear of judgement or rejection.
There are many wonderful fruits that have come from the Young Catholic Professionals apostolate. We have seen so many young people grow in their confidence to witness to the Catholic Faith in every moment of their lives, including the workplace. Our members have had the chance to grow as young leaders and learn from high-level Catholic executives who witness to the truth of our faith. Members are also catechized so that they understand the true meaning of Catholic identity.
But the most treasured accomplishment of YCP, the part I’m most proud of, is the true friendships that are formed. Because of YCP, hundreds upon hundreds of young people who were once stranded or isolated now have real friends in faith.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Something that brings great joy to my heart is traveling to cities across the country for the official launches of our YCP chapters. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our chapter leaders’ commitment to hosting such vibrant and dynamic programming for the young people in their city. I also derive great satisfaction from seeing the friendships being formed among the chapter leadership team and among the YCP members in attendance. Receiving testimonials from people about the friends they have made and how much they’ve grown in faith because of YCP is the best!
Contact Info:
- Address: Young Catholic Professionals
6060 N. Central Expy., Suite 500
Dallas, TX 75206 - Website: http://www.youngcatholicprofessionals.org/
- Phone: 832.492.7573
- Email: national@youngcatholicprofessionals.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngcatholicprofessionals/
- Facebook: facebook.com/youngcatholicprofessionals
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/YCPNational
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/YCPorg
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