Every year we welcome the stories of past scholars who have gone on to do amazing work in the community. After completing his studies at TVCS, Lachlan Hodgson found a calling to minister to University students on campus. He joined Evangelical Students on Campus and started an amazing journey of ministry that has shaped his faith and the person he is today. He shares his story.
How long were you a student at TVCS?
I was a student at TVCS from year 8 to year 12.
What subjects did you undertake in your final year?
In year 12 I studied Specialist Maths, Maths Studies, Physics, Chemistry, and German.
What were the opportunities in your learning journey that equipped you to reach your goal and further learning journey beyond school?
The biggest way in which school prepared me for my further learning journey was the way that the teachers at school always nurtured and encouraged my curiosity. The time I was able to spend with teachers who would not simply try to make me learn information, but who encouraged and were open to discussing questions of why and how. This led to a much deeper understanding of the things we were learning and has shaped the way that I have engaged with ideas ever since.
What were your plans beyond school?
I originally left school with the plan to take a gap year and then head to university to study Aerospace engineering.
What did you end up studying at university?
During my gap year I realised that I had quite a passion for languages, so I decided to study a Bachelor of Languages instead of Aerospace engineering. I studied quite a few languages at Uni, including French (my major), Chinese, Spanish, Latin, and Ancient Greek. I also did a minor in linguistics.
What led you to becoming involved with ES at University, and what do you do for this organisation?
As I was growing in my faith and also recognising that God had given me a passion and some skill in languages, I was wondering how best I could use this to serve Him. The logical answer seemed to be the field of Bible Translation and overseas mission. Soon after this became a desire, I saw a poster advertising the ES Bible Talks, where there was a talk on the ethics of global mission, which was quite pertinent to where I was at. I decided to go along and was completely hooked by the incredible teaching and community there. ES played a huge part in shaping my faith and giving me a community of Christian to do life with at university. After graduating, I came back to ES to do a ministry apprenticeship. In this apprenticeship I get to grow in my ministry skills, but also get to be an encouragement and resource for the current Uni students as they grow in their faith and share the message of Jesus on campus.
What is your heart for University students?
I think that most people at university are at an age and a place where they are encouraged to critically analyse and question things that they think and believe, including the big questions of faith, meaning, and purpose. It’s also the stage where people start to take more control of their own lives without so much routine and input from their parents or from their school. While I was at this stage at uni, I really appreciated being able to chat some of these questions through with the ES staff, who were a bit more mature and theologically educated than I was. It was a super formative time in my life, and my prayer is that I can be that kind of person to current students who are exploring some of these questions.
