Problem Solving, Faith Building

Colin Donovan came to Benedictine College for Track and Cross Country. He stayed for even more.

“I knew I wanted to run in college, and Benedictine gave me the opportunity to do so,” says Donovan, a senior studying Chemistry and Physics.

As a student athlete on the Track and Cross Country teams, Donovan pushes himself to improve as a competitor, as an athlete, and as a teammate. Last fall, he helped the Ravens secure second place in the 2021 Men’s Cross Country NAIA Heart Championships.

As a student leader, Donovan pushes himself to grow his faith, share it with others. Serving on Benedictine College Ministry, which ranks among the top five campus ministry programs in the country. He is the coordinator for the Acts Team, facilitating encounters on campus for college students to meet the Lord in a new and radical way.

Donovan has even spent the last three summers on campus as a missionary for Benedictine College Youth Conferencing (BCYC), where high school students grow in their faith, study academic fields with college professors, and more.

Donovan points to faith and fellowship as two key aspects that make Benedictine College such a special place.

“The community of the entire school and the smaller communities that I’ve gotten to be a part of have given me friends and experiences that I know I’ll take with me the rest of my life. The Catholic foundation of this school is also expressed in so many different ways, and it’s been a gift getting to see that both in Ministry and in Athletics.”

As a Physics and Chemistry double-major, Donovan has been able to make use of the first-class resources Benedictine College offers. This includes Westerman Hall, the finest STEM building of any small college in America, and the Daglen Observatory, which has been accepted into the Vatican Observatory Consortium.

“I never would have expected that where I am now is where I would have ended up,” says Donovan. He encourages high school students to be “open and present to whatever experiences or opportunities are in front of you… It’s easy to get caught up looking too far into the future, but God has a specific plan for each one of us, and it was His plan that brought me to Benedictine.”

After college, Donovan plans to become a teacher, sharing the knowledge he’s learned at Benedictine College, as well as the important life lessons.

“I really enjoy the problem-solving nature of physics and chemistry, and I am confident in teaching the material largely because of the great professors I’ve had at Benedictine College.”