April 2012
Congratulations to Michael Gamble on being the April Member of the Month!
Not pictured: Gamble
Name: Michael Gamble (”Himself”)
Age: 27
Birthday: August 22
Job: Attorney
School: Oklahoma State University; University of Texas
Grew up in: Oklahoma (”Tornadoland”)
Fav. Movies: Contact, 2001, 2010, Threads, Hornblower, On the Beach, Dune,
Fav. musicians: Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Holst, Metallica, Mendelssohn, Pink Floyd, Rachmaninoff, Vivaldi, Scorpions, Boston, Flogging Molly
Fav. activities: Hiking, cooking, thinking out loud,
Fav. foods: Black Forest Cake (?), Mediterranean foods, Northern European foods, Spicy things
Why is your Catholic faith important to you? Catholic faith and tradition encompasses a central core of how I live my daily life, both in terms of how I view the world and how I deal with others.
What is your favorite part about the Catholic 20-Somethings? Stimulating Intellectual Discussions.
March 2012
Congratulations to Marilyn Hunt for being Member of the Month for March!
Marilyn Hunt
Name: Marilyn Hunt
Age: 26
Birthday: May 26th
Job: Stay at Home Mom/Wife to Doug Hunt and Part-Time Chemistry Tutor
School: University of Texas at Austin
Grew up in: Kingwood, TX (outside of Houston)
Fav. Movies: Beauty and the Beast (favorite Disney Movie), Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Dead Poets Society, Sound of Music, When Harry Met Sally, Patch Adams, lots of Julia Roberts Movies
Fav. musicians: Josh Groban, Addison Road, Meredith Andrews, Michael Buble, Mercy Me, Switchfoot
Fav. activities: Sewing, gardening, cooking and eating yummy dinners with Doug, taking Baby Dylan for a walk watching him observe the world God created, singing songs of praise to God for Baby Dylan to listen, scrapbooking, going to the Zilker Park Botanical Gardens and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflowers to look at all the pretty flowers
Fav. foods: anything chocolate, especially Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream (can’t tell you how many pints I ate while I was pregnant), guacamole, fresh cut pineapple, fresh vegetables from our garden
Fav. devotions: Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer, Daily Reading and student reflection by Creighton University students-found doing a Google search for my future sister-in-law and love reading their perspective because I relate to them
Fav. prayers: Daily prayer of conversations with God
Fav. scripture verse: Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
What does being Catholic mean to you? Catholic literally means universal, so anywhere I go I will find where I’m surrounded by people who share the same beliefs whether it be in Austin, TX or when I traveled to San Francisco, CA. I can attend mass with these same people that make up the Body of Christ and receive the Body of Christ through the liturgy of the word and Eucharist.
Why is your Catholic faith important to you? My Catholic faith is my rock that upholds me in every thought and action of my daily life, without it I would crumble.
What is your favorite part about the Catholic 20-Somethings? The Catholic 20-Somethings are like my close knit family of Catholic brothers and sisters that are supportive through prayer, who grow spiritually together, and know how to have a fun time while still honoring God. I have never felt home in a Catholic church until I met the Catholic 20-Somethings at St. Theresa’s. I’m so thankful that God placed me in the Catholic 20-Somethings.
February 2012
Congrats to Robert Cavazos on being our extremely cool Member of the Month.
Robert Cavazos
Name: Robert Cavazos
Age: 25
Birthday: 4/28/1986
Job: Manager at AT&T
School: Texas Tech University
Grew up in: San Antonio, TX
Fav. Movies: Friday Night Lights, Jurassic Park & My Fellow Americans
Fav. musicians: Kyle Park, Josh Abbott & Jeremy Camp
Fav. activities: Intramural sports, “Fellowship”, hanging out with friends somewhere
Fav. foods: Burgers, Pizza, Meat
Fav. devotions: Virgin Mary
Fav. prayers: Rosary
Fav. scripture verse: John 3:16 ” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
What does being Catholic mean to you? Means I am part of a bigger body of Christ; I stand in communion with over a billion people; its my faith since birth and it gives me a set of beliefs to follow in my daily life.
Why is your Catholic faith important to you? It’s important to me because it gives me inspiration to live every day to the fullest and give me a moral direction to live my life in His image.
What is your favorite part about the Catholic 20-Somethings? The community of friends that I have got to met in Austin that have similar beliefs in the Catholic Church; also an outgoing group of friends that keep me accountable and keep me in a positive environment. When you can connect on a spiritual level it builds trust faster and you can have more meaningful relationships with others.
January 2012
Congratulations to Katharine on being Member of the Month for January!
Katharine Brumbaugh
Name: Katharine Brumbaugh
Age: 23
Birthday: August 22
Job: Graduate Research Assistant, Aerospace Engineering
School: The University of Texas at Austin (Grad School); Purdue University (Undergrad)
Grew up in: Minnesota, Colorado and Illinois
Fav. Movies: All Disney, Count of Monte Cristo, Sabrina (Bogart version)
Fav. musicians: Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Mumford and Sons, Josh Turner
Fav. activities: Cooking and baking, walking/hiking, playing string bass
Fav. foods: Anything chocolate, fruit, peanut butter
Fav. prayers: My quiet time with the Lord every week
Fav. scripture verse: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Today has enough troubles of its own. ” Matthew 6:34
What does being Catholic mean to you?
Intimate communication with God each week through communion and prayer.
Why is your Catholic faith important to you?
It’s the only place I truly feel connected with God, Jesus and Mary.
What is your favorite part about the Catholic 20-Somethings?
All the awesome people and fun events! I’ve met some of my best friends through the 20-Somethings.
December 2011
Congrats to Ian, member of the month for December!
Name: Ian Hoffman
Age: 23
Birthday: March 11
Job: Test Engineer for National Instruments
School: University of Oklahoma! Boomer!
Grew up in: Oklahoma City, OK
Fav. Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Man On Fire
Fav. musicians: RJD2, Smashing Pumpkins, Explosions in the Sky
Fav. activities: Krav Maga, Haganah, anything athletic
Fav. foods: Bratwurst, Phad Kee Mao, Pineapple Cake
Fav. prayers: Morning Prayer of St. Patrick
What does being Catholic mean to you? To me, being Catholic is about having a community that I can rely on wherever I go. The people that I meet are inspirational, always reminding me that I can be a better person and serve others in everything that I do.
Why is your Catholic faith important to you? My faith provides a constant in my life. It’s the only thing that has always been with me, and it is reassuring to always have it by my side.
What is your favorite part about the Catholic 20-Somethings? I love the people of the 20-Somethings! They’re an incredible group that is always aspiring to help each other in any way that is possible. This also extends over into all the service opportunities that are available through the group (my second favorite thing about the 20-Somethings).
November 2011
Marie Granado
Congrats to Marie for being Member of the Month for November!
Name: Marie Granado
Age: 25
Birthday: August 2
Job: Pre-School Teacher
School: University of Texas at Austin
Grew up in: Dallas, TX
Fav. Movies: The Red Violin, Lock, Stock and Two Smokin Barrels, Super Troopers
Fav. musicians: Muse, Mumford and Son, Incubus, Toadies
Fav. activities: Volleyball, oil painting, wood carving, singing (karaoke!)
Fav. foods: Anything Thai
Fav. devotions: St. Theresa, my confirmation saint
Fav. prayers: My constant conversation with God
Fav. scripture verse:
Trust the Lord with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He shall direct your paths
- Proverbs 3:5-6
What does being Catholic mean to you?
Being Catholic to me means living my spirituality internally and also sharing it with the community of the Church and everyone else too.
Why is your Catholic faith important to you?
My Catholic faith is important to me because it gives me the support and understanding I need throughout my spiritual journey.
What is your favorite part about the Catholic 20-Somethings?
My favorite part about the Catholic 20-somethings is meeting amazing people who share the same spiritual desires while also celebrating our differences, often with a good beer 
October 2011
Geoffrey Miller
Name: Geoffrey Miller
Age: 23
Birthday: January 7, 1988
Job: Graduate Student and Research Assistant
School: Texas State University, San Marcos
Grew up in: Austin, TX
Fav. Movies: The Passion of the Christ, The Fountain, Dragonfly, Batman: The Dark Knight, The Land Before Time
Fav. musicians: Lisa Gerrard, Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Chloe Agnew
Fav. activities: Reading, Creative Writing, Mathematics, Conversation
Fav. foods: Chick-fil-A and Chocolate
Fav. devotions: Daily Office, Bible Reading
Fav. prayers: Jesus Prayer, Rosary, Serenity Prayer
Fav. scripture verse: John 1:5
What does being Catholic mean to you?
Being Catholic means enjoying a seat at God’s family table. A rich fare of spiritual food is continually served from an unbroken Judeo-Christian religious tradition stretching back for thousands of years. There’s no other religion like it, and the best part is, it’s true.
Why is your Catholic faith important to you?
God sustained me through the various trials of growing up with a physical disability. Knowing that there’s a great crowd of victorious Christians cheering us on from the other side gives me the strength to keep going. If there were no place of final joy and rest, all life would come to nothing but despair and futility. My Catholic faith is important to me because it gives meaning to everything else.
What is your favorite part about the Catholic 20-Somethings?
Definitely the people. I love making new friends and getting into interesting conversations. I’ve learned so much from everyone and I hope the bonds I’m building will last well beyond my 20s and into eternity. Also, thanks for introducing me to deep-fried cookie dough!
