By Alumni, For Alumni

As of 2024, there are 26 Brazos Fellows alumni! An Alumni Network Council now exists under the capable leadership of Cara Hoekstra ('21-'22). If you'd like to follow along with what alumni are up to, sign up to receive the council's monthly newsletter.

Pictured: Cohorts 1-6, 2018-2024.

Homecoming

​In 2023, we held our first ever Homecoming for alumni. The turnout was awesome and the weekend together included delicious meals, time for prayer and personal retreat, and a panel discussion with beloved Brazos Fellows instructors. It was such a hit, we're making it a biannual event! Stay tuned for info on Homecoming 2025, which will be coordinated by the Alumni Council!

Meet the Alumni Council

Cara Hoekstra ('21-'22) is currently a Financial Administrator with the College of Arts and Sciences at Baylor University. She is still a member of Christ Church Waco and enjoys serving in the 3 to 5-year-old catechesis class and participating in parish potlucks and Bread Breakers. When Cara isn't at work or church, you can find her at the Waco Farmer's Market, visiting an antique shop, or having friends over. She was drawn to Fellows by the opportunity to develop habits of prayer and theological study that she could take with her for the rest of her adult life and has continued to find wisdom and comfort in the prayers of the BCP. 
Child of the cross, Mitchell Elequin ('20-'21) lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and son (Rachel and Theo) where they worship at Christ Church Austin. He fills his days building software for mobilizing everyday Believers for the Great Commission, reading old books, and cooking for friends and family. He cherishes his time with Brazos Fellows, especially how fellows drew him into the life of the local church, nurtured a sacramental imagination, and admonished him to never take an onion for granted.
Jess Schurz ('18-'19) joined the first Brazos Fellows cohort in 2018 after graduating from Baylor University. She moved near Philly to participate in the John Jay Institute, and then lived and worked in Washington, DC for four years. She is currently pursuing a PGDip in Religion and Theology at Oxford University. Two of her favorite Brazos Fellows memories were the food retreat and studying George Herbert with Dr. Ralph Wood. 
Joel Trigger ('22-'23) grew up in small-town Virginia. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Bryan College (’08)—where he faithfully served as Paul and Paige Gutacker's third wheel—before moving to Florida to complete a master's in counseling at Reformed Theological Seminary ('13). For the next 9 years, he served at a PCA church in various capacities while building a counseling practice until burning out and recognizing the need for a change and a season of healing. Brazos Fellows was the perfect fit for that pivotal time and led Joel to a deeper personal knowledge of God as Father and to become a more present, loving father himself to his three precious children, Lily, Jack, and Rosalie.