SEEKING GOD'S CALL
TRAILHEAD
COME AWAY AND...
Trailhead: Seeking God’s Call invites high school students to explore God’s call to a meaningful life. For a week in the summer, you’ll learn from Westmont professors, encounter real-world needs with local ministries and nonprofits, and explore your beautiful surroundings. You’ll also get a taste of college life as you live on campus, eat in the dining commons, and worship with new friends.
Who is invited?
We will open our application for Summer 2025 in December. In the meantime, check out our program details here!
2025 Sessions:
Session 1: June 8-13
Session 2: June 15-20
Session 3: June 22-27
Rising high school sophomores through current seniors are welcome to apply. If you have any questions about the program, please email us at trailhead@big5vn.com, or give us a call at (805) 565-6230. Choose one summer session:
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores through graduating seniors, age 18 or younger on July 1, 2025.**
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Why should I come?
At Trailhead, you can slow down, pause in the midst of pressure, and ask honest questions about who you are and where God might be calling you. And you’ll join others who are on their own journeys: high school students looking forward to the next step, college mentors a bit farther down the path, and professors and faculty who continue to listen for and follow their own call from God.
KRISTIE PHILLIPS
[Trailhead] helped me realize how much I still have to learn about the world, but in a way that made me feel excited rather than overwhelmed by all that I didn't know.
RILEY JOHNSON
I had an amazing time discovering how I'm shaped, exploring how my faith and career could intersect, making friends from around the country and spending time with God.
Explore Your Place in God's Story
- Consider new ways of thinking about faith, school, and career as you interact with Westmont faculty, pastors, community leaders, and Westmont student mentors.
- Practice listening for God and listening to others.
- Learn more about your own gifts and passions.
Grow in Community
- Live in community with other high school students and Westmont student mentors.
- Visit sites in the Santa Barbara area that reveal pressing needs in our social and natural world.
- Imagine your contributions to God's work in the world.
Experience College Life
- Engage with world-class faculty from Westmont College.
- Live with your peers in a college residence hall.
- Explore Westmont's beautiful campus.
TRAILHEAD
Our Vision
We sometimes feel alone. But we can journey together.
Our culture encourages us to think about life as solitary and competitive. But God’s call is to the church, and not just to individuals. At Trailhead, we can be ourselves in community as we discover, worship and serve together.
Life can seem like a treadmill. We see it as a trail.
College preparation often feels like a process of hoop-jumping that leaves us exhausted and unfulfilled. But the future can be a journey of exploration. At Trailhead, we chart the territory ahead with curiosity, creativity, and openness to God’s surprising and delightful call on our lives.
We often feel lost and unprepared. But we have guides and equipment for living.
The future’s a place we’ve never been—it can be intimidating. But as we seek God’s call, we grow in knowledge and gain mentors who are further along the trail. At Trailhead, we acquire the tools, experiences, and relationships we’ll need to persevere in pursuit of God’s call.
Come Away...
For Churches and Schools
Westmont College and the Lilly Endowment are committed to cultivating a new generation of Christian servant leaders by partnering with churches and schools to support and extend your work with youth.
Youth Theology Network
We're proud to be part of the Youth Theology Network, a community of more than 100 colleges, universities, and seminaries helping young people discern what's next for them.