MEET

OUR

GREATER

AKRON

YOUNG

LIFE

STAFF

TEAM

MATT PAVLAK

AREA DIRECTOR

was born in Medina, Ohio, but moved to Wadsworth in the first grade. He graduated from Wadsworth High School in 2014 and attended the University of Akron, where he graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After college, he got a job at the Cleveland Clinic in the Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit. Young Life was a part of his story since he was a sophomore in high school. While he was in nursing school at the University of Akron, he gave his time volunteering as a leader for Young Life at Copley High School for four years. After graduation while he was working at the Cleveland Clinic, he got married and moved to Kent, while continuing to lead Young Life in his spare time. As time went on, Matt and his wife could not shake the draw to high school students and wanted to invest in them more regularly. In the Fall of 2019, Matt began to fundraise to come on full time staff for Young Life in the Greater Akron area. He now serves as the Area Director for Young Life Greater Akron.

GABBY ATER

AKRON CITY COORDINATOR

is from a small town called Washington Court House, Ohio. She attended Ashland University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2019. Gabby was introduced to Young Life at AU and quickly fell in love with the ministry, and more specifically with Capernaum, Young Life’s ministry for kids with special needs. Watching kids hear and experience the Gospel was enough for her to want to be a part of the ministry forever. In the Fall of 2019, Gabby joined staff part-time to help us to grow Capernaum in Akron. Since then, our Capernaum ministry has continued to blossom allowing Gabby to help us with other area initiatives. Most recently, starting Young Life in Akron City at Buchtel High School as well as dreaming about YL ONE (Young Life’s ministry to incarcerated youth) in Northeast Ohio as she is a full-time nurse in a juvenile correctional facility. Gabby is also a year one in the Next Gen Leader program which is a leadership cohort that aims to recruit, train, and deploy young staff to work across diverse communities in our mission.

MATT HENNESSEY

COLLEGE STUDENT STAFF

was born in Medina, Ohio. He graduated from Highland high school in 2021 and is currently attending Grace Theological Seminary in Akron, where he will be graduating with a Bachelors in Biblical Studies. Matt started attending Young Life when he was a freshman in high school. His life was changed forever during the summer of 2018 when he gave his life to Jesus at Timber Wolf Lake, a Young life summer camp. As he continued to grow in his relationship with the Lord, his heart for reaching families and students in the city of Akron continued to grow as well. Matt began volunteer leading at Buchtel High School in the summer of 2022. In the summer of 2023, Matt came on student staff for Young Life in the Greater Akron Area. In his new role, he will continue to lead at Buchtel High School, while simultaneously working to foster union between local churches and Young Life in Akron, with the hope of better caring for students in Akron Public Schools.

KATHERINE LAWRENCE

AREA ADMINISTRATOR

is from Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating high school in 2018, she moved to Akron and is currently attending the University of Akron. In December of 2023, she will graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology. She was first introduced to Young Life her freshman year of college and quickly fell in love with the ministry and sharing the Gospel with high school students. She began volunteer leading at Wadsworth High School. After leading traditional high school Young Life for a few years, she began to feel a pull towards middle school students and the need that the city of Akron was showing. She began volunteer leading at Buchtel Middle School in the fall of 2022. While continuing to be a volunteer leader, Katherine began working part time as an area administrator for Young Life Greater Akron in the fall of 2023.

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