For Milani Alo, missionary work is not just about preaching the faith, and it is certainly not about talking down to others. It is walking alongside people and sharing God’s love with them. It is reminding them, Catholic or not, that they are truly seen, known and loved.
Alo is a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionary at Benedictine College, where she works with young women and student athletes to build intentional relationships and support their spiritual lives. Only a few years ago she was in their shoes, a soccer player at Northern Arizona University struggling to find her identity outside of her sport.
Raised Catholic but experiencing hate from those who claimed to be of the same religion, she began to believe lies about the church and struggle in her faith. Alo spent much of her freshman year in this silent struggle, until a FOCUS missionary approached her on campus and asked to get coffee with her.
Alo was hesitant at first, but she recalls how when they sat down, “She just really cared for me and asked me how I was. … She met me with such love.” Despite not wanting to be Catholic, the missionary did not care to talk about that. She wanted to get to know Alo and meet her where she was to help her be a better person.
She was drawn in not because of the missionary’s teaching of the faith, but her sincere question, “How are you?” This moment changed the course of her life.
Alo encountered many missionaries over the years who taught her different things and showed her God’s unconditional love. “I had felt that conditional love for a long time, especially in the sports world. So, the faith just really broke down my walls and taught me it was ok to also be emotional. The Lord just wants to move in you and with you.” Having so many women that truly cared for her like that in college inspired her to want to do the same for others.
After graduating with a degree in exercise physiology and a minor in psychology, she did not know what God was calling her to do, and she never imagined it would be being a FOCUS missionary herself. She attended the interview weekend simply to pray about her future, knowing she had other job opportunities lined up and hopes of attending physician assistant (PA) school.
“They offered me,” Alo said. “I brought it to prayer and in prayer God made it really clear that He wanted me to be a missionary.”
Two weeks into training she learned who her team was and where she would be serving, Benedictine College. She did not know what Benedictine would be like before arriving, but she soon found herself among an incredible team and a beautiful community of students.
Having been on campus since July 2025, she has embraced this mission in every way she can. Her work goes beyond sharing theological truths and teaching others about the Catholic faith. It is rooted in forming genuine relationships with students and seeing them fully and caring for them deeply.
Alo’s teammate, Cecilia King, describes her approach to work as going all in. “She’s willing to give all and completely of herself to the betterment of the students, to the betterment of the team, for the betterment of the disciples. She absolutely cares for each and every one of her students that she works with and she genuinely wants each and every one to become saints.”
Her biggest influence on the campus of Benedictine College is among the young women, who are in a similar place to where she was only a few years ago. She is invested in helping them lead and disciple others through something she calls “spiritual multiplication.” Her goal is to build women up in their confidence to where they can lead each other more intentionally.
As a former college athlete, Alo feels a special calling to work with and reach the student athletes. This is an area of FOCUS that Benedictine wanted to grow further in and have since been able to do so. Alo works specifically with women on the volleyball, soccer, dance, track and cross-country teams.
While Alo disciples these students and leads Bible studies for them, it is important for her to also connect with them on a personal level. She goes to their practices and games and prays over them when she can. Some of these girls are not even Catholic, but her goal is not to preach the faith at people, but to walk with them through the highs and lows of life.
For one student in particular, Solymar Cosio, this has been one of the biggest blessings of her FOCUS involvement. Alo has become a trusted mentor and source for Cosio with big decisions and challenges. Their relationship is special to Cosio because she is not only able to relate her struggles as a college athlete to Alo’s own experiences in college, but Alo is always readily available for her. “She came to class with me the other day which was really fun, … and she always says, ‘turn to prayer.’ That constant encouragement has helped my prayer life.”
Additionally, Cosio appreciates the encouragement she gives to always look for ways she can serve others. “I think seeing all the different missionaries, especially Milani, just like the joy she gets from serving others is inspirational,” said Cosio, who is discerning missionary work herself.
Alo has a two-year commitment to FOCUS and hopes to be at Benedictine College both years. After this, she plans to continue her studies and go to PA school, where she will continue growing in her faith and going deeper in her call to serve others. She is interested in holistic healing, where the body and soul are united, and to learn how prayer life and the mind affect the physical state of the body.
And while she continues to dream of the vocation of married life and motherhood, if she has learned anything it is to trust in God’s plan, giving her an openness to religious life.
By walking alongside these young students in their faith, Alo has already created an influential presence on the campus of Benedictine College. Surrounded by so many Catholic men and women, Alo has been able to learn even more about Theology which gives her a greater connection to God and allows her to bring the heart more fully to those around her.
