A Heart for the Next Generation

Millie Thomas ’27 was just 12 years old when she began drafting the verses and reflections that eventually became her first book. The sociology major and religious studies minor from Charlotte, North Carolina, has officially published “Purpose in You: 50 Devotionals for Tween and Teen Girls on Placing Their Purpose in God!” After letting it lie dormant in a Google Doc for years, she rekindled the project after watching eighth-grade girls navigate modern social pressures during her time as a summer camp counselor.

“I was supposed to read a devotion to the campers in their beds and say goodnight, but I liked writing my own,” she says.

Millie felt a divine nudge to finish what she started as a young girl. With her mother acting as her editor, she spent her mornings refining the 50-day devotional to speak directly to girls facing struggles with friendships, family and school.

Her journey to Westmont began with Trailhead, the Gaede Institute’s summer program for high school students, which taught her the value of spiritual stillness. “I grew close to all the Trailhead students, sharing stories, talking about God and having conversations I never experienced at my big, public high school,” she says.

Influenced by her sociology studies, Millie has completed internships with Angels Foster Care in Santa Barbara and HEAL Ministries in Uganda, focusing on family preservation and childhood education. Locally, she even developed a street outreach program for Kingdom Causes Inc., leading students to provide coffee, socks and prayer to the unhoused community. Whether she is writing devotionals or working in the foster care system, Millie’s goal remains the same: to be a “kingdom worker” who brings light into broken systems.

“I’ve definitely learned how to be a hard worker,” Millie said, crediting her Westmont education for giving her the confidence to engage in difficult conversations and deep community.