Meet our speakers!

Chika Anyanwu

Mari Pablo

Rhyan Ramirez

Vince Nims
Chika Anyanwu is an international Catholic Speaker currently based in Anaheim, California. She received her bachelor's degree in English from California State University, San Bernardino in hopes of becoming a high school English and English as a Second Language instructor, but fell more deeply in love with sharing about Jesus and the Catholic Church.
Chika was a parish Confirmation Coordinator and Young Adult Minister for eight years in Southern California, is a two-time alumna of the National Evangelization Teams Ministries (NET Ministries, USA), and currently serves as an Area Contact for the Life Teen youth ministry movement while still spreading the Gospel full-time. Chika is a part of a big and beautiful Nigerian family, loves coffee, and strives for sainthood every day, although bad drivers challenge her sanctity.
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Why am I being Confirmed
Through personal witness and reflection Chika will share her story of faith and how her own Confirmation empowered her to become the child of God she is today. All while helping the teens at Fired Up understand the importance and impact of their own Confirmation for themselves and their families. 
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Mari Pablo grew up in a devout, always supportive, boisterous Hispanic family in South Florida. She graduated from Franciscan University with a double major in theology and psychology; she also holds a Master of Theology from the Augustine Institute. She has worked in youth ministry for over 15 years, including being a youth minister in New Orleans, and is currently a high school theology teacher and Campus Minister at her alma mater in Miami. She recently worked with Ascension Press in the YOU-Theology of the Body program for teens, and is a speaker for Steubenville Youth Conferences in the summer. Mari has a deep love for food but an even greater love for Christ and is dedicated to helping others encounter Him.​
Holy Spirit dwells within us
The Holy Spirit is given to us not just for the day of Baptism and Confirmation rather He dwells in us. Through understanding that we belong to Him the way we live our everyday life changes. The way we view and value ourselves, the way we love others, the way we deal with suffering and ultimately the way we act. Living out our faith is not easy but God has sent the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us power to be His witness. God sends us out but He first equips us with His Spirit so that we may understand who we are and where God is calling us to go. 
Rhyan Ramirez is a passionate and inspiring speaker, who has a unique ability to inspire and empower young people to live a more purposeful life.
Working through and rising out of the challenges of poverty, discrimination and the tough streets of Vallejo, California. Rhyan brings insightful perspectives on issues of healthy relationships, living a purposeful and passionate life, and the power of caring. Drawing upon a compelling life journey, his talks are filled with intriguing stories, laugh-out-loud humor and a solutions-oriented approach for the challenges that life presents.
What is most important to Rhyan is his family. The healthy relationships he has with them that is the driving force to help people live a life of purpose. 
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Vince was a youth ministry kid--he still is!  It all started on an 8th Grade Retreat in 1981.  His professional career in youth ministry began in 1990.  He remains a busy, reliable and trusted youth worker, campus minister and musician today in 2020! 
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Vince has self-produced four CDs and has been published and distributed by Oregon Catholic Press through SpiritandSong.com. He travels the United States and Canada doing parish concerts, youth rallies, regional and national conferences, young adult gatherings, faith formation events and Catholic school activities. His specialty is blending a variety of music styles that capture and celebrate the diverse Church we are; not to mention his uncanny and captivating ability to tell a story.  Vince has been an official World Youth Day Musician in Toronto, Canada '02, and Cologne, Germany '05 and Sydney, Australia '08. He has been called "The Banana Guy" because of a song called I Like Bananas he made popular all over the United States.  And since high school he was called the "The Roamin'Catholic" because of JESUS-stickers he had all over his car. Naturally, he continues to roam from place to place sharing faith and doing ministry!

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