February 2026

Hello friends and family! 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I am so grateful for your faithfulness in praying over these students and the UT Arlington campus!

I wanted to center this update on the 3 Core Values of FOCUS: Complete Devotion to Jesus, Real Friendships, and Raising Up Leaders.

#1: Complete Devotion to Jesus

This is the ultimate goal! Every day spent on campus, every student I get to meet, the aim and prayer is that they would get to know the fullness of life in Jesus (John 10:10) and completely devote themselves to Jesus as their Lord.

On February 15, I had the privilege of baptizing Abisha at our church! She has made the decision that Jesus is Lord of her life and wants to be completely devoted to Him!

She is from a Nepali family and a Hindu background. Nepal is only 2-10% Christian (depending on different sources), but through the work of the Spirit and campus ministry, she has had the opportunity to get to know Jesus. It has been such a delight studying scripture with her!

Abisha after her baptism!

#2: Real Friendships

Jesus pursued intentional, transformative friendships. His ministry was personal, not institutional. Forming meaningful, deep friendships is one of my favorite parts of campus ministry! 

Doing life together (not just studying the Bible or worshipping together) establishes trust and creates space for becoming like Jesus through loving one another. 

Every week for our small group, my co-facilitator Precious and I make a homemade meal! For Black History Month, we have made Nigerian Jollof Rice and jambalaya so far! There is something about sharing a meal together that brings people together - especially college students who don't get home-cooked meals very often!

On Valentine's Day, our small group got together to bake and watch a movie! One of the students, Emily, surprised everyone with gifts, and another student Bre made hand-written, personal cards for everyone. I love seeing them grow in thoughtfulness in loving one another!

Valentine's hangout!

Jazmine making homemade cookies!

Emily and the Valentine's gifts she made for everyone!

Students from our small group!

Every week a group of us get together to run! Some of the best conversations happen during those morning jogs!

#3: Raising Up Leaders

Jesus took ordinary men and women and made them leaders, and He is still doing that today! Our goal with raising up leaders is not just that they would be effective at leading their peers while in college, but that beyond in their churches, families, businesses, and organizations of all kinds that they would be equipped to make and mature disciples.

We have been holding a class called "Next Step" for students we see leadership potential in. During our first meeting, 60 STUDENTS showed up!! It was beyond encouraging! Check out this photo of these students hungry to be shaped to look more like Christ: 

As many of you know, I was at a community/junior college the last 2 years before transitioning to do ministry at a 4-year university this year. One of the students, Laniah, who I got to walk with for 2 years at Dallas College has now transferred to a 4-year university (UNT) and is getting to be a leader there during her first year on campus! We truly see the community college as a ripe place to raise up leaders before they transfer out!

Here is a picture from my time catching up with Laniah:

FOCUS 30 Year Celebration

Our 30-Year Celebration is just around the corner and you're invited! Please help us spread the word by inviting any of your friends who are alumni or with anyone who might like to join. It is on Saturday, October 24, 2026

If you’re an alum, please take a moment to complete our contact update form to ensure you don’t miss any updates. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone in October. Our big celebration will take place at CityBridge Community Church in Plano.

Student Testimony

Here is the student testimony from my friend Mahagony, a Dallas College student who I got to baptize back in the fall! So proud of her!!!

Thanks for reading! Love you guys!

Veronica Zachariah