Caroline Jane Kantoris, a senior hospitality major from the school of business, graciously stepped in to serve as student president of Ratio Christi at Kennesaw State University in the Fall of 2023 when our original president was unable to complete his term of office. This was even more impressive given that we had only just restarted the chapter after being inactive since 2018. Under her leadership we grew from very sparse attendance to having a critical mass of regularly participating students. Even before stepping in as president, Caroline had been one of our most faithful attendees at our weekly meetings. Caroline was also faithful in actively participating in our tabling activities, both for Ratio Christi only tabling and for tabling with Navigators and The Great Exchange. Caroline was very effective in these one-on-one conversations as well as in leading our weekly chapter meetings. Between the Fall and Spring semesters, Caroline and another student officer participated in the three-day WinShape discipleship intensive; both students could not say enough about how much they enjoyed this developmental program. She also drew on her hospitality experience in setting up special event meetings such as for Valentines. We are very thankful for Caroline’s leadership in getting Ratio Christi off to a solid re-start on the Kennesaw State University campus. I am certain that Caroline will continue to be an excellent ambassador for Christ as she embarks on her new career in hospitality now that she has graduated.

• When did you come to Christ as Lord and Savior, and how did that come about?

I was raised going to church and became familiar with the notions of being a Christian but did not accept Christ as my personal Savior until I was in 8^th grade. I attended church services most of my life, but upon attending a youth retreat in 8^th grade and truly grasping what it means to know Jesus personally and the cost of Him going to the cross for our sins I decided I wanted to have a personal relationship with Him. I have never experienced such true joy, peace, and fulfillment as I have since knowing Jesus.

• In your high school church youth group, how much did you learn about the Christian faith and reasons to believe?

Once I accepted Christ as my personal Savior in 8^th grade, I began to invest more in my local church and small group. I attended our high school youth group gatherings weekly on Sunday nights and began to develop a community with the girls I was in the group with. Over the years, the dynamics of our group changed, but the growth I was having in my faith and deep friendships I developed remained. Through sermons and personal devotional time studying God’s Word, I began to challenge myself in my walk of what it truly meant to live as a Jesus follower and understand more of who God is.

• How did you become interested in apologetics, and how did you get involved with Ratio Christi?

I was introduced to the idea of apologetics when I was searching across my campus’ page for clubs and found there was an apologetics club. Upon learning what it was I was immediately interested. After meeting Vic Marshall, chapter director for Kennesaw State University, and being invited to participate in Ratio Christi I attended the first meeting and continued attending from then on. I quickly fell in love with what apologetics is and enjoyed every moment of being a part of Ratio Christi in college.

• What impact has the Ratio Christi College Prep ministry had on your walk with God and your personal ministry?

I have learned so much about how to logically think about my faith and be able to defend my beliefs and reason with others. I truly am so grateful for all I learned and the way I was challenged. I have grown to stand more firm in my faith and speak with others about what it means to know Jesus as Lord. Particularly getting to table on campus opened my eyes to the struggles and concerns faced with young adults today which has allowed me to minister more effectively to that age group.

• What is this RC chapter like? 

Since our club has been revitalized from being off campus for 2 years, we are slowly growing but have already seen growth both in attendance and with the spiritual journey of members from when we started back. We have weekly meetings on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in one of the buildings on campus. During each meeting, we walk through a claim and watch videos, have discussions, and challenge ourselves based on what we are talking about that night. Outside of our typical meeting structure, we have socials and nights focused more on fellowship.

• What were some of your favorite areas of involvement with your local RC chapter?

I greatly enjoyed getting to table at different points throughout the semester. Vic was so great about giving us opportunities to reach students on campus and be able to share what Ratio Christi is as well as have spiritual conversations with others. We would table at club involvement fairs along with other clubs in addition to tabling outside of those structured fairs. I wouldn’t trade those experiences and interactions I was able to have for anything.

• What does your Legatus Christi award mean to you? 

Beyond being humbled to simply receive the award, to me the award is an encouragement to continue learning about apologetics and, through that learning, more about God. I hope to be able to reach more people from what I have learned.

• How do you envision taking the apologetics you have learned through Ratio Christi into your future endeavors?

As I move into the workforce and out of the college environment, I want to get involved in local ministries that support others to logically think about their faith. After learning the importance and growth from reasoning myself, I want others to learn the same. I feel more confident being able to have spiritual conversations with others and dive deeper in a way I was uncomfortable to do so before.

• What are your short and long-term career/ministry/mission plans?

In the short term I intend to invest in a local church and serve the youth. I led a small group in high school and loved getting to form connections and walk alongside others in their faith journey, so I want to do the same again in the near future. I am pursuing a career in hospitality and am going to see where God takes me in that calling and evangelize to those I encounter. Long-term I have the goal to be in corporate and in that environment reach the lost in corporate America.

• Would you consider coming back to work with your RC chapter, starting one at another school, or working with RC in any other capacity?

I definitely want to come back to the Ratio Christi chapter at Kennesaw State University to continue to be involved and see how the club grows. I also would love to be involved in other chapters to see the impact they are having. I learned a great amount from being involved with Ratio Christi and will forever love to hear what God is doing through the ministry.

• What would you say to other students who might be considering getting involved in Ratio Christi, whether they be skeptics, seekers, or believers?

Ratio Christi is for anyone, so I couldn’t encourage everyone enough to get involved. If you are a believer, you will learn the thoughts and questions nonbelievers have whether you have had those same wonderings yourself at a point or not. And even if someone is not a believer, I would challenge them to think logically and critically about what they believe. At the end of the day following Jesus is a personal choice, so why not consider it?