The Growing Edge Magazine - Spring/Summer 2019

Page 12

EXCERPTS FROM THE CLASS SPEAKERS Karissa Riofrio, BEd, ‘19 Post-graduate studies are different because something special happens when you are surrounded by people who are working passionately toward a common goal. The bar gets set high, you get pulled in by the group’s energy and then they push you forward and encourage you as you go on your way. We spent long hours in tight quarters under high pressure and came out better and stronger. The truth is that it takes a special group of people to create that kind of outcome. I think it can be said for every graduate today that our time at Crandall has not always been easy, but it has always been worth it. Many of the things we learned and carry with us now are not necessarily content related, but are life habits that will continue evolving as we move on into new jobs and projects. We had to begin learning how to balance life and school, to give our attention to what was going on, and to be present in the moment. We learned to persevere – our Organizational Management students worked full-time jobs and then came here, after a full day, to work some more. Welcome by the way, this is what Crandall looks like during the day. There were days when it would have been much easier to stay home, but we learned to work hard for things that matter to us. We learned to work in groups as teams. We learned to communicate and balance everyone’s talents and personalities in order to produce work we could all be proud of. We learned to calm our nerves and limit the shaking during presentations. We spent hours on projects and assignments and learned, no matter how hard it was, to take criticism on our work because that is how we get better. We learned that there is strength in vulnerability and the truth is, life gets hard. You can be doing fine and then

10 | Crandall University

Karissa Riofrio (‘19) giving the Graduand Address during the morning Convocation ceremony.

suddenly fear, or its other name anxiety, gets hold of you and starts telling you lies. Fear takes away your passion and motivation and energy and leaves you hollow, wondering why you are doing this at all. Let me tell you that when fear grabs onto you like that, it takes quite a bit more than self-care baths with candles and “metime” to snap out of it. But there’s a verse in the Bible, it’s in 1 John 4 and it says: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” and it continues on, but that part really got to me: “perfect love drives out fear.” And I got thinking, I know we are unconditionally and sacrificially loved by God, but how can I look at that kind of love in practical terms? How can it be something that’s going to drive out this consuming fear I’m feeling? You and I are loved with this kind of love and that gives us the power to kick anxiety and worry to the curb with it because “perfect love drives out fear.” I wish you all the very best in everything that you set out to do and I pray that love will win in every challenge you face.


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