When De'Shon Cooper arrived at Eastern University as a first-year student, he had a "case of the nervous nellies mixed with anxiousness, sprinkled with curiosity, and a dash of doubt that makes for the perfect freshman," he playfully reminisced.
As he became acclimated to his new home, he attended his first Fellowship of Christian Athletes gathering, where students were asked to choose a word that would define their year. For De'Shon, the answer had already been forming through prayer.
Trust.
"A week or two before, while praying in my dorm room, the word trust kept being repeated," he said. "So it was clear that trust was my word."
That simple word became the foundation for a year of growth, shaping how De'Shon approached his first year at Eastern.
Through the Campolo Center's Fellows Program, De'Shon found “community, purpose, and meaning” at Eastern University.
“With the weekly rhythms we had of devotional time on Monday, our cozy space in Fowler Hall to do homework, the intentional time we had as fellows to check in with one another, [and] the events on our calendar to look forward to helped to keep little old me afloat."
Through the Campolo Center's immersive learning experiences, De'Shon saw faith in action and gained a clearer vision for how God could use his gifts to serve others. The civil rights pilgrimage, in particular, left a lasting impact.
"The highlight of that year without a doubt was the civil rights pilgrimages. As a young man that trip was transformative.”
During the pilgrimage, visits with ministries serving people experiencing homelessness—including the work of Eastern alumnus Tony Sundermeier in Atlanta—helped shape De'Shon's own calling.
"On this trip was when I was able to see the vision I had in mind of how I hope to care for people who are homeless. Seeing how Tony Sundermeier in Atlanta cares for people during our pilgrimage... having a grocery store, clothing store, laundromat, apartments and other resources to be a hand up of helping people get off the streets."
The group also visited the Equal Justice Initiative, where De'Shon reflected on the power of confronting history firsthand.
"Bryan Stevenson's creation of EJI was an immersive experience traveling back in time... Experiences like these, as Tony [Campolo] would tell his students, should cause you to have a story when you come back to what you saw, heard, and felt."
Those experiences continued to shape De'Shon through other Campolo Center trips, including a pilgrimage to the U.S.-Mexico border.
"This journey was heartbreaking, but inspiring. Touching the hands, hearing the stories, seeing the tears and uncertainty of these transient people..."
This summer, that learning continued in London, where visits with ministries serving vulnerable communities offered another model of faithful service.
"Seeing their intentionality to shift the trajectory [of] youth in the UK from drugs and violence to getting into a trade or college was inspiring."
Together, these experiences have shaped De'Shon's vision for the future. Holding a real estate license in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, he hopes to use his passion for architecture and business to "benefit the lives of many."
Looking back, De'Shon is grateful for the mentors and experiences that helped him discover his calling.
"Thank you Tony, Robert, and Jane for granting us exposure on how to be the hands and feet of God. I guess God was right, Eastern was where I was meant to be."