:: Tori O’Brien : youth resident ::

Tori grew up in Katy, Texas and felt the call to go out-of-state when it came time to choose a college. After a long process, she decided to attend Wake Forest University, which began her journey towards falling in love with Winston-Salem. She graduated from Wake in May 2024 with a double bachelors degree in Economics and Politics & International Affairs. 

Though she grew up in a Christian culture, Tori felt the Lord calling her to a personal relationship with Him during her freshman year. After trying many campus ministries, she landed at RUF, which taught her what true Grace looked and felt like. She led small groups through RUF every semester, hosted a weekly prayer meeting before large groups, and served as the president of RUF during her junior and senior years. 

For three summers in college, Tori worked as a counselor at an overnight, week-long Christian summer camp back in Texas, where she counseled girls from the ages of 8-17. This is where she realized she had a deep passion for walking with young girls as they discerned walking with Jesus, especially in the context of difficult family lives, grief, and other deep hardships. During her final summer in college, Tori worked as a Youth Intern at Hope Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem.

Having realized her passion for one-on-one connection with others, both in and out of their suffering, Tori was called to Salem Pres. She loves long walks in the beautiful North Carolina weather, hanging out at local coffee shops (she briefly worked at the Remedy in West End!), exploring new areas in Winston-Salem, creative writing, and enjoying music (folk, alternative, rock, indie, Texas country, and just about anything!) Fun fact: she’s gone to nine concerts in the past year!

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