Dania Karelia

Dania is a passionate young woman from Jinotega, Nicaragua, who has truly responded to the call of God in her life. Raised in a small family consisting of her parents and older brother, their support along with her extended family, have given her a strong foundation to build on as she pursues her university education and grows in ministry.

Dania was raised in a home that taught Christian principles centered around God’s love. As a teenager, she started going to the Young Life club where her brother was a leader; she knew immediately she wanted to grow in her faith and be involved. However, Dania reflects how superficial her faith was during that time, but trusts that it was a time where God planted many seeds. Everything changed after struggling through loneliness during covid and facing other significant losses and trials. Dania shares, “In the dark times, I believed that I had not done enough to be loved by God. Little by little, I began to rebuild my relationship with Jesus and move forward. I came to understand that God's plans are perfect. It was a long process but Jesus healed my wounds and restored my heart.”

One of Dania’s goals as a Developing Global Leader is to be able to reach more people through the vision and mission of Young Life by being an instrument used by God to create committed Christian leaders in love with Jesus. She hopes to continue taking the gospel to every person she encounters while studying law and diplomacy at National Autonomous University of Nicaragua.