By Noelle Friedberg

Senior Staff Writer

Candace Watts has attended CSUSM for the last four years and is graduating this semester with a degree in sociology and a minor in Spanish. She has been a leader in Intervarsity Christian Fellowship for the last two years and helped start Black Campus Ministries at Cal State San Marcos.

Whenever you see Candace around campus her contagious smile is always there to greet you. Whether it’s at her job on campus with food services, in class, or at InterVarsity, everywhere she goes she brightens the days of those around her. She says that being a part of the InterVarsity community has empowered her to reach out to those around her, and it has made her aware that her faith can’t be hidden. She is always inviting people from her class and from work to come and check out InterVarsity because she says it’s not a church, it’s a bunch of people getting together as a family.

Candace’s advice for anyone who is trying to stay on track with their faith while in college is to get involved in a community. She also encourages people to take risks in their faith and to step out into roles of leadership because that is something other people have empowered her to do and she has been so blessed by those experiences.

“Faith is hard when you’re isolated from the body of Christ. We definitely learn from other’s experiences,” Candace said. “Putting yourself in places where you feel unqualified stretches your faith. God touches people in different ways, but everyone has a story.”

When Candace was a freshman she had no idea what she wanted to major in, but after taking a sociology class she fell in love with it.

“Sociology looks at the big picture of how people’s environments influence them, not just their biology or their personality,” Candace said. “It’s interesting that people can try to solve complex social problems by looking at how a person’s place in society shapes their experiences.”

After graduation she first wants to get work experience to figure out what area she’s interested in and then wants to get a master’s in social work. She wants to be a part of providing social services to people who need help.

“With my internship with North County Lifeline, I’m learning that there are many free resources that can change people’s lives,” Candace said.

Keep up the good work, Candace! And congratulations on your graduation!