As the Vision Conference draws near, Bridges took some time to catch up with our main speaker, Andre Yee. Andre will be a part of our main sessions at Vision, and we’re so excited to have him join us! Learn more about him and what he will be speaking on here:
Bridges: Tell us a little about yourself and your connection to Bridges.
ANDRE: My connection with Bridges started with a strong desire to meet international students. Perhaps this isn’t surprising since I was formerly an international student. Through my church, I began working with Bridges to sponsor and organize events for international students. This eventually led Kathy [my wife] and I to begin leading a bible study with the George Mason University Bridges team. It’s been a wonderful collaborative effort.
Bridges: We are so glad to have you at Vision this year! Why were you excited to join us for the conference?
ANDRE: First of all, I’m honored to be speaking at the Vision Conference so thank you for inviting me to do so. Also, what can be more exciting than to gather with hundreds of students from all over the world and talk about life and faith? It’s a much anticipated joy for me as I prepare to share three short messages with the international students. I trust that these messages will have something for everyone regardless of where they are on the journey of faith.
Bridges: What types of things will you be talking about during our main sessions?
ANDRE: Here’s a little snapshot of what I’ll be sharing on. The first message, based on the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, will be about how Jesus reaches the outsider – someone who isn’t one of the “cool kids”. What does Jesus have to say to the person who is cast out and treated with contempt due to his/her social standing? The second message will be about how Jesus engages the insider – the person with wealth, social standing, and influence. The world exalts such people, but what does Jesus have to say to the person with “everything”. Actually, in some ways, we’ve all had moments where we’ve both been the outsider as well as the insider and so we can learn from both messages. My last message is tentatively entitled – “Don’t Waste Your Career”. As a student, your education is preparing you for a career. In this talk, we will explore the question of how to work in a way that will make your work count, not simply for this present time but for eternity.
Bridges: How do you balance living out your faith in Jesus with the demands of your career?
ANDRE: I am a notably driven individual so it’s easy for me to get so focused on my career that I lose sight of the rest of my life. When it comes to creating the right kind of balance in my life – it’s less about guarding my hours at work but more about guarding my heart’s affections. What I mean is this – I still work a lot of hours and I continue to work intensely on my professional objectives as an entrepreneur. But I work on keeping my affections rooted in God and my family…and that does take work. I’m convinced it makes me more effective in the long run.
Bridges: As a former international student yourself, what advice would you give to today’s international students?
ANDRE: My advice for international students is to have a natural curiosity to explore the truth. You’ve been given an incredible opportunity to come to the United States to get an education but there’s more to education than simply getting an academic degree. It’s no coincidence that you find yourself here. I think God has a grand purpose for each of you so I would encourage you to discover what that might be.
