A University of West Florida student set to graduate in December 2021, Keegan Cullen lives for Christ and “found exactly what [he] wanted” at the collegiate ministry known as BCM.

It was the search for Christ-loving people that Cullen was looking for in Pensacola, and when he stepped on campus into BCM, he found “the real deal.”

“I was kind of done with the Christian school atmosphere,” Cullen said. “Everybody says they’re Christians, and none of them were doing Christian stuff, like reading their Bibles and praying.”

Although he found the Christian family he was looking for, it was his open-heart surgery that changed his perspective to the stewardship of a God-given life.

“It really showed me that God has given me a second chance to live and how not to squander my life,” Cullen said. “So I guess getting your sternum sawed in half will do that to you.”

Keegan does not intend to slow down, he said he plans to live his life to the fullest by serving as a missionary overseas and eventually becoming a pastor.

“I’m going to get married to my fiancée, Karmen, and then spend a year here doing ministry,” he said. “Then we’re going overseas for two years on mission trips, and then hopefully coming back to the States and starting seminary.”

While Keegan said that plans could change, he is ready for all that life has to throw at him – partly due to the friends he’s made and skills he’s learned at BCM. He also has contributed to the ministry, not just taking but giving.

“Basically living out a daily life in Christ, that is something that developed me as a leader,” he said. “I think I brought joy to [BCM]. I think that’s probably the biggest thing.”

He also enjoys how BCM changed his relationship with the Church, bringing him closer to the body of believers.

“Just having a holistic view of what the Church truly does and how important the community is,” he said. “Not just peer to peer like BCM but like multigenerational – somebody pouring into me as an older person and me pouring into a younger person.”

Recognizing that “a lot has happened” and “not [being] perfect,” Cullen strives to walk with the Lord daily and use Him as his guide for any situation that presents itself moving forward.