Vanna In
BA 2006, Biblical and religious studies major
At 30, Vanna In has overcome more challenges than most us will face in a lifetime. He came with his family to the U.S. in 1978 as a refugee from Cambodia. When they arrived in Fresno, he followed his older brother into a gang. During his senior year of high school he was arrested for murder. He pled guilty and was place with the California Youth Authority. Vanna gave his heart to Jesus in the Fresno County Jail and turned his life around. He found Hope Now for Youth, an organization dedicated to rehabilitating gang members. They helped him find his first job and encouraged him to return to school. With the support of his wife, Sokmarly, Vanna graduated from Fresno Pacific and is now attending the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary while working as a vocational placement counselor at Hope Now for Youth.
“Being a student at FPU really helped me out. I was taught to think differently theologically and about people. My overall growth and progress I made as a student and as a Christian was amazing. If I didn’t go to FPU, I don’t think I would be attending seminary now. Being at FPU created a desire in me to learn more about ministry and more about the Bible.
"My professors showed humility. Even though they had their Ph.D.'s, they treated us with equality and were there to help us. I was impacted by the way they acted. They were respectful of our opinions and differences.
“At FPU you hear the word ‘community,’ but it is not just talked about. It is practiced. Even though I came from a different background, I was welcomed by my professors and the other students. I was invited into their homes, built relationships with them and was included in the community.”
