From student to educator, he is embracing the call to teach.
Many ask if being a Christian is a prerequisite to attend Concordia University Ann Arbor. The answer is no. But sometimes, things happen.
From 2019 to 2020, Donovan Yuchasz attended CUAA on scholarship for football and academics. Although he began with social work, he switched to nursing by his sophomore year. Faith was not an aspect of his life. In fact, Yuchasz said, “Before I attended Concordia, I had not previously heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” But, “My freshman year, I was introduced to the Gospel. It was new to me, and I had doubts about whether God was even real.”
For young college students, attending a university can be overwhelming. “One night,” Yuchasz said, “I was battling depression, and I decided to pray while lying on the floor of my dorm room. About a week later, I was invited to a meeting called Round Tables, where there was prayer and Bible study … led by Coach Rosco, who coached on the football team.”
It did not end there. “I had a few encounters with the Holy Spirit during these meetings. I decided to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior. Yet, I did not truly know what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ.”
Then a great change occurred in our world that pressed every school, business, person and belief. “I was on fire for some time; then I fell away during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Being sent home without support for his new beliefs was difficult. When Yuchasz returned to the university in 2021, he said, “Though I claimed to be a follower of Christ, I was lukewarm.”
The foundation had been poured, however. In spring 2023, Yuchasz was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in the digestive tract.
“All the work I put into my body for football, just gone in a matter of months because of rapid weight loss. Due to financial struggles, I was not able to return to Concordia. Worst of all, I fell from the faith again and went deep into the world. I just spiraled downward and found myself doing things I didn’t even think I would do,” Yuchasz said.
Yet God often chases a person when they are not aware of it.
“Even though I was running from the Lord, He was calling me. He left the 99 for the one, and He found me,” —Donovan Yuchasz
“In the spring of 2024, I surrendered to the Lord for real; I rededicated myself and was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Today, Yuchasz has a new calling. He is working at an elementary school as a paraprofessional and has returned to CUAA for the online Bachelor of Arts in lower and upper elementary education. And his health?
“[God] has healed me of Crohn’s disease; I no longer have to take medicine for it.”
Ask Donovan Yuchasz what he is pursuing now, and he is likely to tell you, “Wherever God is leading, I’m going to go. I will be the teacher I’m called to be.”
Written by Shelly Venema, adjunct professor for the School of Education
Read the previous article in this series, “A Calling for the Classroom: Kasey Uptergrove.”
Want in?
CUAA will continue to offer degrees in 2025-26 and beyond. Pursue a degree in healthcare at our North Building with its newly remodeled features and state-of-the-art simulation equipment, or earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in education through one of our well-established online programs. The CUAA campus continues to offer a route to a Lutheran Teacher Diploma to help equip Lutheran K-12 schools nationwide with qualified workers. In the near future, Concordia will look to reintroduce additional church work training opportunities in Ann Arbor by building a new vision and model for the undergraduate degree programs here.
Click here to view a full list of the programs Concordia will retain in Ann Arbor. Click below to schedule a visit with an Admissions team member.