All-you-can-eat

“Even after I left the Pace Center, Pace never left me.”

Ossan graduated from VCU three years ago and has been pursuing her goal of becoming a doctor. But the path hasn’t always been easy or linear. After VCU, Ossan struggled. “I failed out of my first program, and then I failed again.” But she didn’t let setbacks stop her. “Before Pace, I would have just quit. But I’ve learned that nothing worth having comes easy and growth doesn't stop.”

Ossan’s journey at the Pace Center began as a Federal Work Study Intern. “I started leading Community Café by accident.” Ossan was working the front desk when a student cook had a small melt down in the kitchen. “I told them to breathe. I said, ‘We're gonna figure this out. Let's go back there together. What's the recipe? Let's make it happen!’ Eventually, we got some backup and it actually ended up being a really great meal. I became a leader by just kind of stepping into the role.” Ossan continued as a leader with Pace until she graduated.

But as she faced uncertainty after graduating, Ossan still needed support. “Pace helped me to realize that we don't know what's going to come next. But everyone was so willing to help. I could go in there heavy-hearted, stressed about school, and walk out a little lighter because I knew that people at Pace cared about me. Pace taught me to give myself grace and change my thinking from, ‘I can't do this’ to, ‘Yes, you can.’”

Now a medical student at St. George’s University in Grenada, Ossan focuses on serving underrepresented communities, including the deaf community. “Through Pace, I learned how to talk to people with the goal of building community and bringing people together. Simple conversations can be turned into opportunities.”

Ossan returns to Pace whenever she can. “Every time I’m home I try to visit Pace. It fills my cup. Pace is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s a place that will always feed you spiritually, mentally, or just literal, actual food.”

This giving season, please consider donating to Pace so we can continue to help hundreds of students and grads like Ossan find community, guidance, and a place to fill their cup. 

Thank you,

Rev. Katie Gooch