The Team

Contact

Kristin DeSutter - Founder & Editor of YCW
Thank you so much for taking the time to check out our site, and we'd LOVE to hear your ideas and comments. Our goal is to promote the diverse, radiant beauty of each young, Catholic woman. We hope our site will strengthen your relationship with Christ, family, and friends; inspiring and enabling you to become the BEST you! Most of all, it is by sharing and celebrating our Catholic faith that we can encourage and strengthen one another on our journey to the heavenly kingdom.

A bit about myself - I just graduated from the University of Illinois in May 2012 with my bachelor's in agricultural communications advertising, and I am very proud and excited to work for Monsanto's PR team in St. Louis. Having the opportunity to create this site has been an amazing (and very unexpected) gift from God. But I never could have created YCW without the continuous love, support, and confidence from my family and friends. Most of all, I love hanging out with my family and friends, and I enjoy reading, traveling, oil painting, baking, shopping, watching movies, and playing sports.

E.mail - young.catholic.women@gmail.com
Snail Mail - Young Catholic Women; 914 Spruce Street; St. Louis, MO 63102; Attn: Kristin DeSutter

Meet our team!

Maura Schelhammer - Our Social Media Expert

The greatest glory of God is man fully alive --St. Ireneaus

These are the words that I try to live by every single day! I am a recent grad of the University of Illinois, and after spending a year living in France after graduation, I moved back to the US. I currently work as the Coordinator for Liturgy & Media at the Church of St. Mary in Lake Forest, IL.

I love everything French! When I'm not at work (doing a job I love!) I'm traveling all over, dancing, eating, reading, and cooking. I have been very blessed with a beautiful family and incredible friends, and spending time with these loved ones brings me so much joy. And every opportunity to grow in faith is a chance to live God's Will--to live fully alive!

I also manage www.youngcatholicwomen.com's Twitter account and Facebook page--follow us on Twitter@jmjwomen and like the Young Catholic Women Facebook page!

Amanda Lawrence

Hi there! My name is Amanda, or Mandy, whichever you prefer! I am a junior at the University of Illinois, where I study History, Communication, and Leadership Studies. My passions involve hanging out with people, especially children, and watching what makes them come fully alive. I love watching that sparkle in their eyes when you know they are truly doing what God made them for! I plan to go to Law School one day so I can someday fight and defend all of God's children wherever He desires me to be. I firmly believe that no matter what walk of life we are called to, we are responsible for bringing the good works of Christ to everyone, and are responsible for showing the world what it means to be Catholic, not just telling them! Just as St. James says James 2:18: Show me this faith of yours without deeds, then! It is by my deeds, that I will show you my faith. That's my goal in life, what's yours?

Anna Armamentos

Hello! I am a May 2011 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a minor in Secondary Education. Currently, I am a high school mathematics teacher and a dance team coach at a public school in Joliet, IL. I have been a dancing since I was a young girl and was blessed to be a member of the Illinettes Dance Team, which performs at all home Illini football and basketball games. Dancing brings me such joy! I now enjoy being a coach to a team of girls who love dancing just as much as I do. Besides dancing, my passion lies in living out St. Francis's motto: "Preach the gospel always and when necessary use words." Teaching in a public school does not allow me to openly talk about life with Christ. Many of my students do not know God. Some do not even know love. I know that God is calling me to show my students the love of Jesus Christ... just without using words. It is my duty as a Catholic Christian, and I am happy and willing to do whatever Jesus asks of me.

Anna Dlesk

Hello beautiful daughters of God! My name is Anna Dlesk and I'm a junior studying English and Secondary Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It has taken me a long time to believe that Jesus loves me for EXACTLY who I am, happy or sad, long hair or short hair, acne or none...He just loves me. Always. No argument necessary (well, I guess you can argue if you want, but I promise you'll end up back at this same conclusion). I definitely still have my struggles, but through HIS PATIENCE, the GRACE of the HOLY SPIRIT, and the LOVE of our MAMA MARY (she's wonderful... get to know her :) ), I am more ALIVE than I've ever been before. I'm on a journey towards Heaven and it's the most difficult, beautiful journey I've ever experienced. I'm excited to walk with you on this journey! :)

Ben Rahimi

Hello there everyone! My name is Ben Rahimi and I am a senior studying Accountancy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It always saddens me when I see and meet women who are ignorant of their own amazing beauty as God's children. It angers me even more when I see men, who ignore female dignity, mistreat and take advantage of women for their own selfish ends. My goal in writing for this website is to convince all of you wonderful women, Catholic and non-Catholic, of your extraordinary dignity and importance to society and the divine plan of salvation so that you may go out into the world with your heads held high as daughters of God!

Brooke Heischmidt
Hello my sisters and brothers! I am in my first year of grad school at the University of Missouri (MIZZOU), studying to be a speech-language pathologist. I am also in a relationship with the wonderful John Fischer who is a FOCUS missionary at the U of I. Although we are relatively new at this, we are trying to live out our
relationship the way God intends. We hope to share wisdom we gain through our experiences and learn from you as well! Personally, I am trying to learn about the life-long lessons in the value of suffering, total abandonment, and making all that I do a prayer. I have tried to grow in my faith alone and found that it is too difficult. We are created for community, so I am ecstatic to be connected to my sisters in Christ through this website. Let’s carry on the road to sainthood, living life to the fullest! Rather than a quote, here is a link to my favorite “spiritual powerbar”… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jABIjfkRVxI

Cecily Stedwill

My name is Cecily Stedwill and I am a freshman at the University of Illinois majoring in Human Nutrition as a pre-nursing student. In my free time I love to read, run, cook, travel and spend time with my friends and family. I especially love playing games and baking in the kitchen with my six younger siblings. I am very excited to be a part of this amazing group of Catholic women striving to grow and support one another on their faith journey!

Cecille M.

Hey everyone! I'm a junior at the University of Illinois, studying hospitality management, along with a couple minors in business and Spanish. I'm a nice combination of sassy, sweet, and candid, which I hope you'll see in my posts. As my major suggests, I'm into food, and I spend much of my free time in the kitchen, serving up something delicious. I love my family and my rather fluffy dogs, Gabby and George. I'm borderline clueless about my future, since I figure God will have fun with his hatchet in my plans, but if it were up to me, I'd be spending some time overseas (especially Spain!), traveling the world in general, and cooking up goodness wherever I could. There's not much you can't figure out from my posts, so I hope you enjoy both them and all the very cool things we're thinking about on this site!

Chris Goulet

Hi, my name is Chris and I'm delighted to be able to contribute to Young Catholic Women! What an awesome site, especially for young women! I'm an electrical engineer at the University of Illinois and my goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to all, especially explaining the faith and giving an authentic male Catholic male witness in all that I do.

Check out my regular blog, Thoughts From a Catholic and follow me on twitter @itschrisgoulet.

I look forward to hearing back from you! God bless!

Christie Ewing
Hi everyone!! My name is Christie Ewing, and I am a University of Illinois senior studying advertising with a minor in business. Some of my favorite things include coffee, movies, board games, and BELTING country music in my trusty Kia Spectra, better known as The Tan Bullet!

Growing up, I constantly felt as if I wasn’t good enough, so I tried to find my worth in a certain title, achievement, or reputation. Not only was this exhausting, but dissatisfying--no matter how much I achieved, I couldn’t seem to find the ‘happiness’ that the world promised me. It wasn’t until college that I realized my true worth and satisfaction can only be found in Christ, and it has been amazing to watch the way He has transformed my life since. I am SO excited to be a part of this site and I cannot wait to see the change and beauty it inspires!

Claire Slayton

Currently a Sophomore at the University of Illinois, I am majoring in Communication through the College of ACES. More than anything else, I love being with my family and friends, as well as being artistic. I am currently uncertain of what career I would like to pursue following college, but I trust that God has something extraordinary planned for me.

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." -St Catherine of Siena

Dana Lange

I am a senior at the University of Illinois studying Spanish and Environmental Science. I am passionate about my faith above all things though I also enjoy cooking, reading, and spending time with my friends. I know how important it is to have a community in order to grow as a Christian so I hope that this website will be a resource for all young, Catholic women!

Danny McShane

My name is Danny and I am currently a senior at the University of Illinois, studying Philosophy and History. I enjoy serving, spending time in quiet with God, and being with friends and family. We'll see if I can help this site out anymore (with so many wonderful people on team already!). My only hope is to convey God's magnificent love for the world, focusing on the themes of abandonment, trust in God's will, humility, and joy.

Mt. 11:28-30.

Dave Rafferty

I'm a graduate from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Economics. I currently live in Wisconsin and work for a Property & Casualty insurance company. I recently completed my first half marathon (after losing a bet with my girlfriend). I enjoy experiencing all that God offers in this life, and living that to the full (John 10:10). Through this website I hope to help remind women that they are Beautiful because they are His.

Diane Butler

I am currently a senior at the University of Illinois, studying English, French, and Secondary Education (and this semester I am student-teaching at a local high school!). In addition to teaching, reading, and learning foreign languages, I love cooking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. Above it all, though, I love Jesus - and being His beloved as well, through the Catholic Church! I am passionate about learning all I can about our Catholic faith. I've been blessed with incredible mentors throughout my faith journey, and I can't wait to learn and grow more with all of you beautiful women through this website. Mary, Star of the New Evangelization, pray for us!

Elizabeth Morgan

Hi! My name is Elizabeth and I am a Junior at the University of Illinois studying English for Teaching - Secondary Education. I get to work with High School students all the time and I LOVE helping them realize their goals and achieve success! I hail from Chicago (Yes, the city) and I have 3 siblings (one brother, two sisters). I also have an unhealthy obsession with the color PURPLE! I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful community and learn with all of you about the most important part of our lives (Yeah JC, I'm talkin' bout you!). Holy Mary Our Hope, PRAY FOR US!

Emily Plattner

Hi! My name is Emily Plattner, and I am currently a senior at the University of Illinois. Next year I will be attending Indiana University for the Education Specialist Program in School Psychology. I love swimming, singing in the car with the windows rolled down, and pretty much everything to do with summer! I truly believe that God places desires in our hearts and joys in our lives for a reason and that we should live those out fully and passionately! I am enthusiastic about using the gifts God has given me in order to serve others, and I enjoy helping others discover their gifts and talents.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.” –Mt. 5:14
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” -St. Catherine of Sienna

Erin Hellwig

Hey everyone! I am a senior at the University of Illinois studying Psychology and Communication. I love playing volleyball, dancing, and hanging out with friends. God has given me so many wonderful opportunities and has filled my life with wonderful people who have gotten me through many hardships. I can't wait for all of these Catholic women can influence my life and the lives of others.

Erin Mueller

I am a Junior at the University of Illinois studying English and pre-Education. I love history, old movies, and reading. I cannot wait to learn from these wonderful Catholic women as well as teach others what I know. Faith is the best hope we have in life.

Gabby Seufferheld

Hola! I'm Gabby, a Senior in Sociology and Pre-Physician Assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I have a passion for people and medicine, but most importantly, I love being Catholic and finding Christ in everyday situations. In my free time I enjoy volunteering as an EMT on campus and at a local Christian clinic, as well as spending time with friends and taking my Golden Retriever on adventures. I'm excited to embark on this faith journey with all of you as we help each other grow in our faith!

Jessa Barniol

I'm Jessa, and I live in Jerusalem, in the land where Jesus lived. I'm an American Catholic girl and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. I'm a graphic designer, a crazy creative type, and a young wife to my best friend, the 6'3" Ecuadorean astrophysicist. I'm relatively new to the Church; I went through RCIA in college and became Catholic in 2006, and I'm still learning about the rich and beautiful tradition that is our faith. I'm very happy to be a part of this online community! I also blog about my adventures in Jerusalem over at www.shalomsweethome.com. Come stop by and say hi!

Jovana Nguyen
Hi everyone! I'm Jovana, a junior at the University of Illinois studying Actuarial Science and Communication. I'm excited to work with this site, along with read about the many different topics covered! I'm interested in learning about God's love and our search for true love in life through Him. I can't wait to see how much we will learn from each other and grow together in our journey towards Him!

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." -Mother Teresa

Kate DeBrock

Hello friends! You can call me Kate, Cath, Katie, Catherine, Cathy, or all of the above! I am a sophomore at the University of Illinois, studying Psychology; and yes, I can read your mind. I know what you're thinking right now - you're thinking that this website is amazing! It's a wonderful tool for all of us young Catholic women (and gentlemen) to network with each other and share our stories, our musings, and interesting news, and to contemplate ever more deeply what it means to be women of Christ. I look forward to being a part of the team for such a beautiful website, and I am excited for this project to grow and multiply as together we learn and share more about each other and about our faith!
"I had neither guide nor light, except that which shone within my heart, and which guided me more surely than the midday sun to the place where He who knew me well awaited me."
St. John of the Cross

Katherine Becker

Pax Christi Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Katherine Becker and I am a Communication doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I enjoy reading, writing, and running. I recently a wrote a book entitled, "The Dating Fast: 40 days to reclaim your heart, body, and soul." I hope to continue pursuing my writing career to encourage women to recognize their beauty as His beloved daughter, and have the courage to share the beauty of their femininity.

"May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on that love that has been given to you. And may you be content knowing that you are a child of God."
-St. Therese of Lisieux

Kristin Theros

Hey ladies (and gents)! I'm Kristin Theros, a 2012 graduate of the University of Illinois with a major in English and minor in Communications. I currently work as Assistant to the Director for Grant Writing (Grant Writer) at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockford. When I'm not working with the awesome people at Catholic Charities, you can find me reading books, cooking, playing the guitar, painting, watching a movie or cheering for my favorite sports teams! I'm a sports fanatic (as you can tell from the picture), but I'm striving to discover a true, Catholic femininity despite my tomboyish interests. Society needs strong, Catholic women to reclaim our feminine identity...and if we do, we can change the world. I challenge myself, and my fellow sisters in Christ, to rediscover what it means to be women and live that out as God intended.

"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." -Bl. John Paul II

Lauren Dohse

Hey there! My name is Lauren and I am currently a proud Fighting Illini sophomore studying Actuarial Science with a minor in Communication. I'm totally psyched to be a part of this incredible site! My three favorite things in the world (in no particular order ;]) are Jesus, ice cream, and chivalry. I thoroughly enjoy walking around barefoot, staying up til the sun rises, going to 24 hour diners, and (most importantly) being a Catholic woman! I love showing women (and men!) how to find God in their every day lives. Be sure to check out my personal blog, Focus on the Fiat!

"I know God won't give me more than I can handle... I just wish He didn't trust me so much." - Mama T.

Lauren Kilcommons

Hey! My name is Lauren and I am super excited to be a part of the Young Catholic Women team and have the opportunity to share my faith with all of you! I am a soon-to-be college graduate from the University of Illinois with degrees in Political Science and Spanish. My interests include Catholicism, politics, running, building friendships, playing Frisbee, traveling and living each day to its fullest!

Lindsey Weishar

Hello there! My name is Lindsey Weishar. I am currently a junior studying English at the University of Illinois. I really do like words; my favorites right now are scintillating and zephyr. I also enjoy keeping a journal, writing poetry, singing (not very well), and learning about different cultures. Last spring semester I studied in Canterbury, England. Currently, I am interested in learning more about joy and about love. Both are so essential to the Catholic faith, and to truly understand that our faith is one of celebration, and one where our Lord calls us into relationship with him is beautiful. And check out Psalm 139 and Philippians 4: 6-7. God loves us so much! May we learn to love ourselves and others as He does.

Maggie Wolf

Well hello there! My name is Maggie and i'm pumped to be part of this webstie, despite my lack of techonological skillz :) I am currently a graduate of the University of Illinois, with a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Geography. I am pursuing graduate school in Library and Information Sciences with the hope of changing the world through books! I am a coffeeaholic with a deep love of sunflowers and friendship thrown in. I am also enganged to a wonderful man named Austin :) My goal for each day is to experience Christ's love and the beautiful world God has given us; all while bringing those around me to experience it too.

Mary Liz Chipman

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; Let it be to me according to Your Word." -Mama Mary (Luke 1:38)
Hi y'all! My name is Mary Liz...or MLiz! I am from South Bend, Indiana (Go Notre Dame!) Went to college at Loyola University Chicago, and I'm now serving as a missionary at the University of Kentucky! I am beloved Daughter of God....but have had struggles believing this. And the Lord tries every day to show me His LOVE so I can grow in TRUST and FAITH. I'm always up for a chat, so please feel free to send me a message or fbook me so we can talk! Oh and pray for me too! I am getting MARRIED on May 19, 2012! All for the Greater Glory of God! Peace and Joy!!!

Michael Holmes

I may not be a young, Catholic, woman, but I am a young, Catholic, man so I don't feel too out of place. I graduated from the University of Illinois in December 2010 with my degree in Horticulture: Production and Management. Currently, I run my own landscape business, Holmes & Gardens, and also work for Congressman Tim Johnson's campaign office. Protecting the life of the unborn and preserving the institution of marriage are the two issues I feel most strongly about and actively involving myself in politics seemed like a great way to make a difference. I hope I can add a male perspective to the website and grow with all of you in Faith.

Mike Hamoy

I'm very excited to be contributing to such a wonderful website with a great concept. I am currently engaged! and I'll be marrying my best friend Bridget in August! I graduated from the University of Illinois last May and I currently work as a Research Chemist for UOP, a Honeywell Company. I hope that as time passes I can help young ladies out there with their questions and concerns about dating, guys, marriage, and anything else that might come up. Furthermore, it is my intention that by my contribution to the website I can help to build up a culture in which we better protect and cherish women everywhere. Finally, I want to make sure that through this website we can help women better understand how much they are really worth.

Mike Yerkes

Hey! I'm a senior at the University of Illinois majoring in Accounting. I'm excited to be writing for this website and sharing my thoughts with all of you. I hope to help all you wonderful woman grow in your faith and share with you a guy's perspective on female dignity and the pursuit of holiness.

Rachel Caulfield

Hello! My name is Rachel and I'm a senior in journalism at the U of I. I'm so excited to share my experiences as a Catholic on YCW! I've been a Catholic my whole life and have taken several classes on theology and morality. I also specialized in philosophy as a student at the U of I. I've lived at the St. John's Catholic Newman Center at the U of I for three years now and I've loved it. It's been a privilege to be surrounded by people who have a passion for Jesus. Thanks for reading!

Rachel Elisa Gardner Perez

Hello everyone! I'm Rachel, a UT alumna from Austin, Texas! I was introduced to this beautiful new community of women blogging for Christ by my friend Stephanie Chung. She and I (and Jessa!) were all super involved in the University Catholic Center, the Catholic Church affiliated with UT Austin. I currently work in Austin with abused adolescent girls in a Residential Treatment Center, and will hopefully be on my way in the fall to graduate school to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. Since delving more deeply into my faith in college, I've become interested in the possibilities for us as Catholics on the web, and have seen how such on-line communities can nourish and guide our faith lives and provide a place where our voice can be heard in the public sphere. It is so essential for us as Catholic young women not only to be connected to each other and to God our Father in every day life, but also to allow God to use us as His instruments, just as our Blessed Mother did, to bear Christ into the world. Thanks to all of you for being great examples of this - YCW is a great project and I'm excited to be a part of it!
Twitter: rachelelisag

Rae Leonor Ferrer Gumayan

Hi, my name is Rae Leonor Gumayan. I am a senior at the University of Illinois in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I am here at this website where I can share my reflections on Catholic faith. I hope to grow in spirit with you.

Rose Schmillen

Hello all! My name is Rose, and I'm a junior at the University of Illinois; however, this year I'm studying abroad in France. I'm working as growing as a person and as a Catholic, and I'm currently discerning religious life.

"The Glory of God is man fully alive." - Saint Irenaeus

Stephanie Chung
Howdy, y'all!!! :) My name is Stephanie Chung, and I am a third-year graduate student at the University of Illinois, pursuing a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures. I'm originally from Austin, Texas. I love my Catholic faith, which has given me so much strength and joy!! I enjoy reading, watching movies, listening to country music, traveling, trying new foods, learning foreign languages, and spending time with family and friends.

Stephanie Gulya

I am a newly married young Catholic woman who lives in Central PA with my husband. In May we will be having our first child, a boy named Joseph Anthony. My primary blog is The Catholic Woman (www.songofsongs610.com), which is focused on ministering to the hearts of Catholic women through reflections on the Sacraments, prayer, Scripture and culture.

Stephanie LeRoy

Hello Beautiful Woman of the World! I am so excited to be a part of this website where we can grow, learn, and share all together! I am a sophomore at the University of Illinois majoring in Religious Studies and I hope one day to be involved with Youth Ministry work. I come from a large family of three older brothers and sister in law and I have a nephew and two nieces. My family is my life and I love them very much! I enjoy playing all kinds of sports, but my favorite is soccer and I enjoy listening to Mat Kearney, going for walks or runs, reading, skipping and jumping, and being outside. But what I really love is God and sharing my faith with others!

Teresa Manion

Hello beautiful women! My name is Teresa Manion and I am a junior Biological Research major at Loras College (a small Catholic liberal arts school) in Dubuque, Iowa. I am passionate about running, reading, photography, and of course, being a young Catholic woman.

I love integrating my faith to every aspect of my life, from my work as an RA, to the random thoughts I have while on a long run, and seeing just how much of an impact the Holy Spirit has on the world/people around us. I am also inspired by the lives of the saints and our mother, Mary, who draws us ever closer to Christ! I look forward to sharing in my faith journey with all of you!

"True greatness is in loving God and in humility." - St. Faustina