Y4Life is so excited to welcome our new Media Resource Assistant, and we thought you might like to get to know her, too. Check out Diana’s answers to our interview questions below!
Can you tell us a little about your family and where you grew up?
I grew up in Lansing, Ilinois, a small suburb of Chicago located on the Illinois and Indiana border. Currently, I live two towns over from where I grew up. I am married to my amazing husband, who is a shop manager for a stone-cutting and monument company. We welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world this past May.
When I was growing up, my dad was a systems analyst, and my mom worked for an appraisal company and later worked for the Lutheran school my brother and I attended. I have one older brother, who is a pastor with a beautiful family in Tennessee.
What degree did you earn in college and where did you work before you joined the Y4Life team?
I have my B.A. in Communication from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, and my M.Ed. from Concordia University, Nebraska.
Previously, I taught in various Lutheran schools for fifteen years. I spent the majority of my time teaching preschool and pre-kindergarten.
What led you to want to work for Y4Life?
Discovering that Y4Life has a fantastic mission field with many opportunities to share the Gospel!
What areas of life ministry are you most passionate about?
That is a tricky question; I want to say all of them! I am most passionate about valuing life and reminding youth that we are created, called, and redeemed children of God through the various areas of life ministry.
Have you always had a passion for upholding life, or was there a specific instance that led you to be a Gospel-motivated voice for life?
In high school, I went from knowing it is right to uphold life to sharing the Gospel and helping carry the pain that my friends suffered due to various life issues. Seeing the pain friends dealt with made me a strong advocate for life.
Not everyone agrees that human life is sacred. How do you handle opposition to this truth when you encounter it?
I think of it as planting seeds of change. I share what I know in a thought-provoking and respectful manner with mercy and grace woven in. I pray that the Holy Spirit works to change how they value life.
Okay, now it’s time for some favorites. What is your favorite …
Bible verse? Isaiah 41:10
Hymn? “Jesus Loves Me.” It is genuinely what I sing the most.
Hobby? Crafting
Food? Ice cream
Podcast? Lutheran Ladies Lounge
Music? 2000s pop punk or ‘90s country
Television series? The Office
Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share—some some little known fact or interesting uniqueness you possess? I have been to England, Panama twice, and the Dominican Republic, and I will be going to Mexico in 2024!