Name: Jeremy Hahn
Graduation Year: 2002
Major: Biblical Studies
Current Position: Executive Vice President, Life360 Community Services
City and State: Springfield, MO
Tell us about your career and what you do now.
My wife, Liz (a 2006 EU grad) and I began a community resource hub out of a former elementary school in an impoverished neighborhood of Springfield, Missouri. Through our many partnerships we have grown our nonprofit to serve over 20,000 kids daily in 30 different school districts across rural Missouri. Our cradle to career program looks to build community development partnerships that feed, house, educate, and empower kids and families to become committed members of their communities. I now oversee 130 employees who are working in various housing projects, preschool and elementary school programs, and career empowerment programs across the state. We have focused on employing co-vocational pastors who are leading churches that are making a lasting impact in their communities.
What is your favorite memory from Evangel?
My favorite memory of Evangel was touring with Frontline (the former traveling contemporary Christian band for Evangel). We were able to see the country and the far-reaching influence Evangel had in communities from coast to coast.
How did Evangel help you identify/develop your calling?
Evangel helped me realize that every vocation can be seen as ministry in the eyes of God. As I dove into vocational ministry with a church, I realized that my friends who were in the business world and educational fields had even more opportunities than I did to minister. I quickly began to partner with the business and education communities to bring the church to the people we need to serve most.
How did your experience at Evangel prepare you for life after graduation?
Evangel offered the ability to build lifelong friendships and experience the real world while obtaining my education. My professors offered a very practical approach to the concepts they were teaching and helped me learn to apply them in real life. Most importantly, Evangel did not give me all of the information for success but gave me the tools I needed to find the answers for everything life throws our way.
What advice would you give a current student preparing for the workforce?
Get involved with every volunteer opportunity possible. If you are studying for vocational ministry see your peers in other vocational paths as your partners in ministry and look for opportunities to serve the community wherever you’re at… especially with Life360. 🙂
What would you look for if you were in a position to hire new graduates from Evangel?
I would look for the ability to show up to work and be passionate about the tasks of the day. Thinking creatively and being willing to take risks are important qualities in an employee.