Alumni Stories: Kaden Jaramillo

Kaden attended Calvary Chapel Bible College online from Fall 2021 through Summer 2026, earning his Bachelor of Biblical Studies in 2026. Although he initially had a very different future in mind, the Lord redirected his plans during his senior year of high school and gave him a growing passion for teaching His Word.

For most of his life, Kaden had hoped to serve in the United States Air Force and attend the Air Force Academy. He was already well into the application process when an unexpected opportunity began to change his direction.

While attending a Calvary Chapel church, Kaden connected with a pastor who had previously taken classes at CCBC. Around the same time, he was given the opportunity to teach the Bible to his men’s group as a high school senior.

“When I stood up and spoke, a part of me came alive like never before! I believe God revealed to me my life’s direction and passion: to make Jesus famous through the teaching of His Word!”

In a relatively short amount of time, Kaden withdrew his application to the Air Force Academy and applied to CCBC instead. He chose the online program so he could continue growing and serving in his local church while pursuing his education.

Although Kaden studied online, his experience at CCBC was marked by the encouragement and care of a Christ-centered community.

During his time as a student, his family was facing significant health challenges, placing considerable strain on his ministry responsibilities and academic work. Rather than trying to navigate those difficulties alone, Kaden shared what he was going through with his classmates.

“I openly shared what I was going through with my classmates and was consistently met with prayer, encouragement, and grace from professors. I am grateful for the community CCBC provided me, even as an online student, as I pressed on through these struggles.”

His experience is a reminder that Christ-centered community isn’t limited by a physical campus. Even through online education, students can find encouragement, prayer, and support as they grow together in the Lord.

When asked how CCBC prepared him for the life he is living today, Kaden offered an honest reflection. While he doesn’t remember every detail of every class, he recognizes that his education accomplished something much deeper than simply teaching him information.

“CCBC did more for me than teach me facts; it helped shape me into a certain kind of person. I have grown in my love for Christ, His Word, His Gospel, and His people. Although I may have forgotten some of what I learned, I have become the kind of disciple who is a lifelong learner and knows how to sit at Jesus’ feet and serve others.”

More than anything, Kaden credits CCBC with cultivating a love for God’s Word and a passion to share it with others. He remembers the conviction of the staff and professors that God’s Word has the power to change lives, a conviction he now carries into his own ministry.

Recently, after teaching at his church, several people in the congregation commented on his visible passion and zeal for the Lord.

“Whenever someone tells me this, I praise God, the source of my passion, and I remember where this passion was cultivated.”

Since graduating, Kaden has continued pursuing the calling that first began to take shape during his senior year of high school.

He is currently serving at White Fields Community Church in Longmont, Colorado, the church of CCBC Professor Nick Cady, as a Church Planting Intern. Through this internship, Kaden is being intentionally mentored and equipped as he prepares to be sent out and plant a church on Colorado’s Front Range.

For students just beginning their journey at CCBC, Kaden encourages them to give their studies their best effort while keeping the right perspective:

“Study your butt off. Challenge yourself as much as you can. Throw everything you have into your papers, assignments, and tests. And then… rest and let go and trust God.

Kaden remembers entering Bible college with the same academic drive he had in high school, where he pursued straight A’s. But through his time at CCBC, the Lord taught him that a grade was not what defined him.

“I learned that the goal was to grow as a disciple above all else.”

As someone balancing full-time ministry, family responsibilities, and full-time online studies, Kaden had to learn to do what he could with the time and opportunities God had given him and then trust the Lord with the results.

“I did not want my education to be an idol. School was a gift and a blessing from the Lord. By having the right heart and mindset, I believe God even enhanced my learning and appreciation for that season of my life.”

He encourages students to work diligently, maintain their integrity and priorities, and remember why they have the opportunity to study in the first place.

“The goal is to become a certain kind of Christian, not an achiever for achievement’s sake. Enjoy the blessing, don’t become enslaved by making it an idol.”

For graduates navigating life after Bible college, his encouragement is simple:

“Keep pressing in! Take steps of faith! Bible college is not the end, it is the beginning of a life of faithfulness.”

“If you want to grow to have a fierce faith, an intense love for God’s word, and be equipped to rightly wield Scripture in every circumstance to God’s glory become a CCBC student.”

As Kaden continues preparing for the possibility of planting a church, he asks the CCBC community to pray that he would remain sensitive to the Lord’s leading.

“Pray for me to keep in step with God’s Spirit and remain faithful to what He directs me to do as I am aiming to plant a church in the near future.”