Leonie’s Longing Intern: Meet Abbie Anne!

Hi everyone! 

My name is Abbie Anne Truesdell and I am the new summer intern at Leonie’s Longing. I am currently a student (senior) at Clemson University in South Carolina. My major is in Psychology, while my minor is in Non-Profit Leadership. While I am greatly anticipating graduation from college, Clemson is actually not where I started.  

I was born and raised in Aiken, South Carolina, where I spent 18 years of my life. I spent all of high school discerning a call to religious life, and immediately entered the convent the summer after high school graduation. I was extremely blessed with my time there, but I ended up leaving the community to pursue a personal issue, with the intention of returning shortly after it was resolved (though that did not end up happening). I immediately began attending Immaculata University in Pennsylvania, which was a blessing in itself because it was so close to extended family. Though the transition to lay life was a bit rocky, I ended up gaining many friendships and my personal insight grew immensely. However, after one year at Immaculata, I decided to leave and take a year off to focus on my mental health. It was after that year off that I finally decided to attend Clemson University. All of this being said, my path has been far from traditional, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way! 

This summer with Leonie’s Longing, I will be focusing on mental health. I will be creating a mental health portion of the website with information and resources, as well as writing blog posts on topics related to mental health and life in/out of the convent. I pray you find the information and posts helpful. I am thrilled about getting the opportunity to meet many of you through various platforms over the summer, and please reach out to me at abbieanne [at] leonieslonging.org if you have any ideas, questions, or just want to say hi! God bless! 

 St. John Neumann & St. Margaret of Castello, pray for us!