There are a lot of different people with a lot of different cultures and backgrounds in Campbellsville. According to College Factual, approximately 55% of Campbellsville undergraduates are international. There have been many countries represented across campus over the years; however, Cuba was not one of them until four years ago.
Allan Johan Garcia Morales has been a student at CU since 2020. He is a pastoral ministry major and dreams of being a pastor at a multilingual church while also translating for the court system. Morales also dreams of owning a business that empowers poor people to change their mentality and make them succeed both spiritually and socially.
But who exactly is Allan Garcia? Many students at Campbellsville call him the most interesting man on campus. Cameron Edwards, a colleague of Garcia, used one word to describe him: Encouraging.
“Doing ministry is hard and often can be very discouraging for numerous reasons,” Edwards said. “Allan does a really good job to make me think outside the box and get out of my head to make me see how God has and is moving in my life and my church.”
The questions asked by most students when they arrive on campus are, “How did you hear about CU, and why did you want to come here?” Garcia is no different. The first Cuban student to come to CU with an actual visa had a hard time getting here.
“At the time, it seemed impossible to me to come to the United States since religious visas were denied,” Garcia said.
He was first introduced to Campbellsville University by a friend named Becky who was in Cuba on a mission trip. Still, Garcia was skeptical of coming to the States. From a very young age, God had called him to ministry.
“I was majoring in interpretation and translation in Cuba. I knew God was calling me to the ministry since I was about 14 years old, but I hadn’t obeyed my calling,” Garcia said. “In 2017, I started translating for pastors and missionaries, and God put a strong desire on my heart to proclaim the gospel to unbelievers and to those who thought they knew the Lord but did not really know Him.”
Then, in 2020, Garcia’s life changed.
“During COVID, God opened the door for me to leave Cuba by applying for a student visa in the American Embassy in Guyana,” he said. “I received the visa on the spot, and I became the first and only Cuban who has ever received a five-year multiple-entrance visa to the U.S. since 1960.”
When Garcia arrived on campus, he immediately felt at home. Garcia and Edwards met in a theology class as soon as he got on campus.
“My first semester here in Intro to Old Testament taught by the man, the myth, the legend. Dr. O’Neal, he sat right behind me. And we just became good friends,” Edwards said. “We would always go to the library right after.”
In the classroom, Garcia was already ahead of the game. He had experienced ministry since he was 14. He also knows a lot through his life experiences. Edwards had multiple classes with him throughout his tenure at CU.
“Class, at times, was frustrating, but not in a bad way. Dude is just too smart,” Edwards said. “He has a gift for languages. He knows like six, and he’s fluent in most of those six. So, taking Greek and Hebrew with him, it’s not even fair.”
Garcia came to CU as a 24-year-old with more life experience than most freshman. He now shares his experiences with everyone he meets. Garcia’s personality draws people in like a moth to a flame.
Gracie Skaggs is one of those people that has found a warmth in Garcia’s personality. She became closer with Garcia when he shared his spiritual journey map in spiritual formation class. The map was a presentation of his testimony from Cuba to Campbellsville.
“He was very warm and welcoming,” said Skaggs “His story was very unique, and I just think it’s really cool that I have a friend that has a story like that.”
If you ever see Allan Garcia around campus, stop by and tell him hi. He may share a bit of wisdom with you and leave you with a word of encouragement.
