Writing for Chastity and Detecting

Megan Finegan is a 2015 graduate of Benedictine College from Denver, Colo., where she now works as a 911 dispatcher for Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office and writes for Chastity Project. A member of the inaugural class of Gregorian Fellows, she spoke to us about her work.

What did you major in at Benedictine?

Criminology and Psychology with a minor in Sociology.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A detective.

What’s your favorite story from college?

My favorite part was definitely the community. Everyone is so genuine and friendly towards each other. The people make BC the best! There are too many stories to choose from! One of my favorites would be becoming best friends with my freshman year roommate while sitting on our ugly lime green rug drinking tea and eating cheese in the middle of the night. It’s the little moments that tend to have the greatest impact …

You write for Chastity Project on the side – what’s that like? What got you started with it?

It’s still surreal to be writing blogs for Chastity Project, and it’s an honor to play a small role in their mission. I absolutely love it!

I met Jason Evert after a talk he gave this past summer and very awkwardly told him about the book my best friend and I co-wrote and are working on getting published. He was very supportive and in an email later asked up both to blog for him. It’s been a complete joy to be involved.

What’s your favorite post that you’ve written for the Chastity Project?

“Hey Future Husband, I’m a Sinner. How are You?” is probably my favorite one. Honestly, I was pretty embarrassed to write it at first, but it really makes a difference to me knowing that by being open and vulnerable with what I write, others who I may never meet are able to benefit.

You’re in the process of writing a
book – can you tell us a bit about that? What it’s about, how you got the idea, what you hope to accomplish with it?

My best friend Kaylin Koslosky and I felt called in the past year to write a book for young women from their peers. We saw a need for a message of hope from someone living among the same pressures and temptations with us here and now, rather than an older, wiser woman looking back. We realized, why not us? God does tend to call the least qualified. So over Christmas break last year, we sat down for about a week of prayer and work and next thing we knew, we had a book we now feel called publish. It’s all definitely been a work of the Holy Spirit but it’s something we feel very passionate about and we know that God will lead us where this is meant to go.

In the book, Daughter of the King, our mission to take a look into our fallen world, which is made so apparent on college campuses, and deliver Christ’s desperately needed message of hope and restoration to women our age in a way in which they can relate. We use our own lives to invite them on a journey to find true beauty and the love of our Father. The book is broken down into five sections: Beauty, Modesty, Relationships, Faith, and Buzz Topics. Our conversational writing style is meant to both engage and challenge the reader to look at the messages in light of their own lives, and open their hearts to see the life that they have been created for. We hope the book will spark a revival of true femininity, beauty, and love in our world.

Do you have any plans or ideas for another book after you finish this one?

Honestly I have no idea where this journey is leading us, but whatever God wants of me I’ll do!

What’s your passion? What gets you excited just thinking about it?

I’m really passionate about travel. I love the thrill of exploring a new city or getting lost in a foreign countryside. Studying abroad was one of my greatest college experiences because I was able to travel for an entire semester and learn about new cultures. Just thinking about it makes me want to hop on a plane somewhere I haven’t been before.

Who’s your hero?

My hero would definitely be my mom. She is the strongest, most beautiful woman I know and one of my best friends. She’s shown me what true love, sacrifice, and faith is, and she continues to amaze me every day.

Is there anything you’ve noticed about the world that you don’t think other people have noticed, but should?

Life doesn’t ever slow down; it speeds up and is ten times more exhausting than you think it will be. But not having homework is pretty dang great.

We have a very self-centered world and since working in 911 Dispatch it has become incredibly apparent to me. For example, someone will call in complaining about how the traffic is inconveniencing them, when not a mile down the road a person just died in a car accident or random shooting, causing the traffic issue. It’s a reminder that we need to take a step back and remember to think of others more often and consider what they might be experiencing. Not everything is about us. We never know what another person is going through, so our first reaction should always be to act in love and patience, even when it’s hard.

The Gregorian Institute is Benedictine College’s initiative to promote Catholic identity in public life by equipping leaders (the Gregorian speech digest), training leaders (the Gregorian Fellows), defending the faith (the Memorare Army for Religious Freedom), and celebrating Catholic identity (the Catholic Hall of Fame).