By Courtney Hahn
One of the questions for this submission asks how my pathways have shaped me. As much as I would love to say they are mine, they are not. My pathways are God’s pathways. I come from a loving, Heavenly creator who has painted His abundant love, mercy, and grace over my life. Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This biblical verse has played such a major role in my life. I was a senior in high school, distraught, stressed, and worrisome as my collegiate cheerleading goals seemed they be coming to an end before they could have a chance to start. I had gone to work and began serving this man, a stranger I had never met before. I sat his drink down, he looked me in the eyes and said the following, “You are stressed, I can tell, but I wanted to tell you that God has a plan and purpose for the life ahead of you.” In utter shock and complete disbelief, I said thank you, walked away, and began to cry in the server alley. He left me a twenty dollar tip with that exact verse, Jeremiah 29:11. That same day, roughly four hours after my shift, I received an email from the LSU Cheerleading coach that I was recruited. I was down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the first time the following weekend on a recruitment visit. Cheering for Louisiana State University and living down south were certainly the best years of my life and the experience of a lifetime. God led me down there not only to pursue my collegiate cheerleading and academic dreams but so much more. The South is different. It is filled with the most diverse culture, food, music, and people, and their faith in God is a staple. This experience of a lifetime allowed me to cheer in Death Valley with 100,000 fans, grow much stronger in my faith, and experience a new culture with some of the kindest people I have met.
Two years later, it was time to make another important decision. I always had a passion to become a nurse, however, LSU did not offer a nursing program. Amidst four months of longing and wavering between staying and leaving Louisiana, I had left. I made this decision, yes, but it was ultimately God who guided me through this process. After consistent prayer, time with the Lord in adoration, and speaking to mentors, God spoke to me in scripture. It was crunch time, I had to decide within the next two weeks if I was trying out for the LSU Cheer team or going to nursing school. Stressed and searching for the right answer, I opened up my Bible after mass one night. Randomly flipping to this exact page in Isaiah, God was discussing how He had plans to lead the Israelites out of Egypt’s captivity. The first sentence I read as I opened the Bible was, “I will lead you home.” After this, there was no turning back. God was calling me back home to pursue my passion for nursing. Here it was again, the creator working so abundantly in my life to guide me, and not for mine, but for His greater glory.
I am now an LSU Cheerleading Alum, pursuing my BSN, RN, and happily living out the life God has called me to. Nursing and cheerleading are two of the most influential factors in my life, and they hold so much passion in my heart. I landed a job with MetroHealth as a nursing intern as well as a cheerleading coach at the North Coast All-Stars cheer gym. What a glory it is to serve such an amazing God who places us exactly where we are supposed to be in every season of this sweet life! As Proverbs 31 states, “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” My strength and dignity come from the Heavenly Father above and I am so excited to see what other plans He has in store for my life!
Meet Courtney Hahn
