Written by Kathryn Ross
If there’s one thing APU alumna Christa Oudshoorn-Hobo knows, it’s that God truly does have a plan for every life. The trick is listening to His promptings and allowing those tugs to pull you in new and often surprising directions. Since graduating from APU in 1992, Oudshoorn-Hobo has had an interesting and rather action-packed life. She’s traveled, furthered her education considerably, landed a number of exciting jobs, and met plenty of amazing, Christ-centered people on the way. However, it was her time at APU, that really set her up for the various blessings she’s encountered over the last 27 years. Now, the Associate Director of Development at APU, Oudshoorn-Hobo is able to look back and see how her time at the university, both as a student and now as a staff member, has set her up for different levels of success.
During her time at APU, Oudshoorn-Hobo was initially unsure of what to pursue. “I was at a crisis my sophomore year,” she says. “I did not know which major to choose because I was passionate about so many different subjects. I thought and prayed extensively and finally chose the major in the subject which gave me the most joy, and which seemed to suit my abilities most: English.” After taking her “Intro to Literature” course with Dr. Chase Sawtell, she knew she had made the right decision because she felt her life had been changed forever: “I discovered my love for literature and writing and have never been the same.”
Professors Carol Lambert and David Esselstrom of the APU English Department were also influential mentors for Oudshoorn-Hobo. She and Dr. Lambert stayed in touch for years after she first left APU, forming a friendship both spiritual and maternal, and Dr. Esselstrom often visited her at one of her first positions after graduating undergrad: a media relations intern at Oceans Records in downtown Burbank. In fact, it was the APU Career Center that helped her along the path to this opportunity, something she would leverage into a rich and varied career.
“Like most of us,” says Oudshoorn-Hobo, “I have had many highs and lows both personally and professionally. But ultimately, through hard work and diligence and God's providence, I was able to fulfill many career goals.” Some of these include living in Europe and working at an American record company, performing on the Dutch and Belgian Broadway stages in productions of Titanic, Wizard of Oz, and Sound of Music, and even working for U.S. Presidents and Secretaries of State, at the United States Department of State.
Her 20 years away from the states were filled with more than simply exciting career moves. Oudshoorn-Hobo also took this time to dive deeper into service and participate in many ministries, from preaching and teaching to leading and doing various forms of creative arts worship. “APU ultimately encouraged me to seize the day and be Jesus’ hands and feet wherever I went,” she said. “[APU] helped me to dialogue with individuals who did not share my faith in an articulate and integrous way - it gave me the tools from which to navigate my life’s purpose: always trying to put Christ at the center of all I do.” She continues to carry this purpose in her work with local schools, arts associations, women’s ministries, and more.
Finally, since returning to APU, Oudshoorn-Hobo has plenty of perspective to offer current, former, and incoming students:
Don't be in a rush to grow up, to ‘arrive’. Life is a journey with many steps and roads that lead you to be right exactly where God wants you. Don't be afraid to try something new, to speak up for God's truth, and don't ever be afraid to ask for help. No one knows everything and actually true wisdom is knowing that you don't know! God has a plan for you, be faithful in what He's given you, and watch Him bless the results.”
