Spring 2024 Special Edition: Our Common Threads

Liza Esquibias Writer

Amanda Monahan Writer

Emma Ibarra Writer

STAFF

LETTER FROM YAMILLAH

As a senior in high school, I enrolled in Pepperdine because I believed with everything in me that it was where God had called me.

There is a whole story behind what I felt was “God’s call” — a series of conversations, prayers and signs — and if you want to know it, feel free to ask me. But, for the sake of word count and my journalistic need to be concise, I will keep it short and sweet.

It has been four years since I entered college, and with every friend I’ve made, moment I’ve experienced and growing pain I’ve had to endure, I am certain Pepperdine is the place I was destined to be.

One thing that has affirmed this truth is Pepperdine is the place where I fell in love with storytelling. I have been a part of Pepperdine Graphic Media since my first year of college, and I now know more than ever that this is what I’m meant to be doing for the rest of my life.

What initially drew me into journalism was the creative outlet it provided to tell and write stories. However, very quickly, my love for storytelling was met with my fear of meeting new people.

Having to interview at least three different

sources per article was anxiety-inducing for a severe introvert such as myself. There were some days when I would hope with everything in me that a source would reschedule or cancel our interview so I wouldn’t have to face my fear.

Not long into my journalism career, I realized I could not be a storyteller if I never spoke to anyone. So, I put on my big girl pants and faced my fear of meeting strangers and having intentional conversations with them.

With every interview I conducted, my fear slowly went away. With every conversation, I realized more and more how special it was that my major allowed me to meet people I wouldn’t otherwise meet and connect with them on a deeper level.

This made me a better journalist and, more importantly, a better person, and I am so grateful for it.

My favorite part of being a journalist is what used to haunt me. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to sit down with people from all walks of life and speak with them about the things that give them life. There is nothing more beautiful than people sharing the depths of their being so openly, and I am honored to hold them in that space.

Marley Penagos Designer

Victoria La Ferla Managing Editor

Aubrey Hirsch Copy Chief Abby Wilt Executive Editor Mary Elisabeth Photo Editor

Will Fallmer Lead Designer

I have conducted over a hundred interviews in my collegiate journalism career, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we are all more alike than we think. So many things unite us in our humanity — love, loss, faith, art, grief, healing and much more.

An ancient Chinese legend says everyone we meet is written in our destiny, and we are all connected and bound to one another by an invisible red string. I believe this wholeheartedly. I believe we were all placed on this campus on a hill for a purpose, and it is here where thousands of us have found our place in this world.

For this reason, I chose to highlight the very things that I believe bring us together most intimately and honestly in this special edition.

My hope is for you to feel a sense of community and a profound appreciation for our shared humanity after reading these stories of belonging, healing, love, spirituality and growth.

I hope these stories can affirm how beautiful this thing called life truly is — no matter how complicated and painful it can be.

I hope you enjoy flipping through its pages and can feel all the love poured into it.

JOURNEY TO BELONGING

Discovering Identity and Community

Students come to Pepperdine for a variety of reasons — the tight-knit community, the Christian presence on campus or the beautiful views, they said. Yet, upon arriving here, fnding belonging within that community is an entirely diferent story.

Sophomore transfer student

Michelle Chan did not have the perfect, sparkling frst year of college that frst-year students expect.

As a frst-year at the University

of Hawai’i, Chan said she struggled to fnd true belonging in a community flled with thousands of students. Despite the natural beauty of Hawai’i, she said the combination of the school’s large size and the values of those around her — especially in the aspect of Christianity — weren’t the right ft for her.

“I grew up Christian, so I had those values in me and wanted to still carry that in college,” Chan said. “But, it was hard, especially in a public school and

with friends who didn’t value the same things as me.”

Like Chan, other Pepperdine students have experienced similar feelings of isolation and loneliness.

First-year Bardaliss Sanchez-Jimenez described her life growing up as a “roller coaster.” After being born in New York, her family moved back and forth between New York and the Dominican Republic — where her parents are from — which made her feel diferent from other kids her age.

“I always had imposter syn-

Story by Amanda Monahan | Photos by Mary Elisabeth | Design by Marley Penagos

drome,” Sanchez-Jimenez said. “It was hard for me to really pinpoint what home was to me.”

Chan’s experience upon coming to Pepperdine is unlike many others’, as she is a sophomore transfer student — arriving in Malibu during the year most students depart to other countries for study abroad programs.

During New Student Orientation, Chan said she found herself confused at times, splitting her time between being with frstyears and older transfer students but rarely ever with other students her age.

“Obviously, we all have that experience of trying to fnd belonging,” Chan said. “But personally, it’s been weird trying to distinguish myself between a frst-year and a second-year and trying to explain that to someone is sometimes really confusing.”

Sanchez-Jimenez said middle school in New York was the most difcult period of her life, partly because the rest of her family was in the Dominican Republic. Back then, she said her English wasn’t as good as it is now, and as a result, she experienced a lot of bullying.

Yet, Sanchez-Jimenez said the challenge of a language barrier was not bound by location.

Sanchez-Jimenez said she not only experienced difculty with language while in New York, but she would also be called names when she spoke Spanish in the Dominican Republic — names that implied she didn’t belong there either.

Some students undergo these challenges in the opposite order from Sanchez-Jimenez, though. With a majority of sophomore students going abroad, these obstacles to fnd belonging can extend beyond the Malibu campus.

Junior Olivia Marcil said she transitioned into her time at Pepperdine seamlessly. She quickly became close with her suitemates and roommate, which resulted in an immediate sense of community and belonging.

But, it would only take a year before her world was fipped upside down.

Marcil departed the United States in the fall of 2022 for her sophomore year abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. She originally planned to stay in Germany only for the fall semester, but after how much she loved her experience in the fall, she decided to remain in the program for the spring semester.

“The fall semester was great;

I have no complaints about it,” Marcil said. “We were seeing new places, and it was a novel experience — it was a butterfy phase.”

But, little did Marcil know, this “butterfy phase” would come to an end quickly.

At the start of the spring semester, Marcil said only about half of the program from the fall returned, and the other half was a fresh batch of students. It was at this point that her butterfies began to fy away, and her mental health took a turn for the worse, she said.

“I was going through a lot emotionally and had gone through something really difcult over Christmas break,” Marcil said. “Then coming back and being in the house — I don’t know what could have caused it — but there were so many times where I felt just out of my body.”

Marcil said a difcult aspect of going abroad with such a large group is that everyone has diferent expectations. This was a huge challenge in fguring out who her true friends were, Marcil said.

“I didn’t really feel a sense of belonging, and I think it was just because everyone’s expectations were so diferent,” Marcil said. “I just felt really alone and isolated through a lot of it.”

“The Pepperdine community has taught me it’s totally OK to be your own person and that you should be your own person.”

Michelle Chan Sophmore

Despite facing various difculties, Chan, Marcil and Sanchez-Jimenez all agreed Pepperdine lives up to the expectation of having a small and welcoming community for everyone, they said.

The biggest factor in Chan’s decision to transfer to Pepperdine — which she decided early on in her frst year at Hawai’i — was what she heard about the tightknit community here. A friend of hers who graduated from Pepperdine in 2023, told her that, once you fnd your group of people here, they are your people for life.

“That’s been so true coming here and having discovered that for myself,” Chan said. “People here are just so genuine and very open — very welcoming wherever you go.”

In the same way, despite facing difculties with some of her friends throughout her mental health journey, Marcil said her experiences have opened her eyes to who she feels she truly belongs with.

“When you go through something difcult, it either brings you closer to people or it causes you to change and fnd new friendships,” Marcil said. “In this case, it did cause me to change and fnd new friendships, which I don’t think is a bad thing.”

During her junior year of high school, Sanchez-Jimenez said she

began considering colleges, and California schools were at the top of her list as she had always wanted to live here. She said she came across Pepperdine and was drawn to its small size because she had grown up going to small schools her whole life.

Aside from the size and academics, Sanchez-Jimenez said Pepperdine reminded her of home. With the beautiful surroundings and the beach nearby, she said it reminded her of the Dominican Republic.

Nevertheless, Sanchez-Jimenez said she feared she wouldn’t get into Pepperdine because she felt the odds were not in her favor.

“I was scared because of the fact that this is a predominantly white school,” Sanchez-Jimenez said. “I already knew there weren’t a lot of Hispanics or minority groups, so I was skeptical about that.”

Nonetheless, Sanchez-Jimenez got in and has found an immense sense of belonging since arriving here through the clubs and organizations she surrounds herself with.

Finding Belonging

Sanchez-Jimenez is a part of the Alpha Phi sorority and the Women in Business Club and plans to go abroad next year.

During the recruitment process, Sanchez-Jimenez said she was drawn to Alpha Phi because she

sensed an emphasis on diversity. She said her sorority big — an older member of the sorority, who serves a “big sister” or mentor role — sophomore Chantal Mbayah, an international student from Kenya, has made Sanchez-Jimenez feel at home in the sorority.

“She has been able to identify with little things like coming from diferent places, diferent backgrounds, setbacks that we’ve shared and obstacles that we’ve faced,” Sanchez-Jimenez said. “It makes me feel identifed, like I’m not the only one who’s gone through hard stuf.”

Similar to Sachez-Jimenez, Chan said she has also joined student groups on campus that have impacted her sense of belonging.

Chan is involved with Koinonia Campus Mission, which she said is a Korean-American Christian ministry on campus. Within fve minutes of her frst event with KCM, she said she was having genuine conversations with other members.

Chan said she found her biggest sense of belonging at Pepperdine through the Well, a weekly worship service for members of the Pepperdine community. Despite the large crowds the Well attracts, Chan said she appreciates the closeness and connection present there every Wednesday night.

Chan said, with a small cam-

Photos courtesy of Bardaliss Sanchez-Jimenez

Olivia Marcil

pus, it’s inevitable that cliques will form here and there. However, she said her experience at the Well has been the complete opposite, as she has found such a wide variety of genuine people there.

“Their [the Well’s] biggest thing is inviting random people to go to the Well and just to experience joy and belonging together,” Chan said. “They really do live what they preach.”

Finding Identity

Throughout her short time here, Chan said she already feels like Pepperdine has impacted her identity. During her time in Hawai’i, she said she faced a constant battle of feeling like she wasn’t good enough for her friends and feeling like she had to change her character to be worthy. But, here at Pepperdine, Chan feels confdent in being who she is.

“The Pepperdine communi-

ty has taught me it’s totally OK to be your own person and that you should be your own person,” Chan said. “You never want a friendship or relationship that’s forced, and as long as you identify with who you are, the belonging will come to you naturally.”

Sanchez-Jimenez said being at Pepperdine and away from her home and culture has made her appreciate her life and blessings a lot.

“Being here has made me come out of my shell and out of my comfort zone and be exposed to meeting new people from different backgrounds and learning about their culture,” Sanchez-Jimenez said.

Aside from everything she’s a part of on campus and the experiences she’s had, Sanchez-Jimenez said she can easily pinpoint her biggest sense of belonging to two things: her friend group and her mindset. Her friends are very ethnically and culturally diverse, she said. Even

so, Sanchez-Jimenez said they are perfect for each other.

“I just feel like the people you surround yourself with, the mindset you have and the goals you set can really help you fnd that belonging,” Sanchez-Jimenez said.

Marcil said, whether a student is going abroad or coming to college for the frst time, it can often be thought of as a glorifed experience.

“If you have an experience in life that’s supposed to be really great, and it’s just not, don’t feel so bad about it when things don’t go as planned,” Marcil said. “It can be really challenging.”

At the end of the day, Marcil said everyone gets through it no matter how hard the battle might be. Ever since coming back to the Malibu campus, Marcil said she has found her friends and her people. She truly believes anyone can fnd a sense of community and belonging if they look for it.

Photos courtesy of Bardaliss Sanchez-Jimenez

ARTFUL AWAKENING Healing Through Various Media

Story by Victoria La Ferla | Photos by Mary Elisabeth | Design by Yamillah Hurtado

The power of art shines through students and faculty at Pepperdine. Art can guide people through life’s darkest moments and illuminate the path to healing. Students and faculty said artistic expression can have a profound impact on human life — nurturing our spirits, soothing our souls and igniting a flame of resilience within each of us.

Olivia Edmunds: Capture Joyous Moments

Junior Olivia Edmunds’ artistic journey began in the cozy confines of her family home, where cultural activities like museum visits and theater outings were the norm.

Edmunds’ artistic style leans toward realism as she captures the essence of moments and emotions through meticulous detail.

“I mostly do drawing and then some painting and a little bit of embroidery,” she said. “I think that it’s a cool integration.”

Her family was always going to museums or plays, she said.

Drawing sessions with her mother became a cherished ritual, and her innate passion for art grew at an early age.

Edmunds’ artistic process is deeply personal, and she said she often draws inspiration from photographs that resonate with her emotionally.

“I’ll just see a picture and be like, ‘I just want to draw that because, for some reason, it just speaks to me,’” she said.

Despite her admiration for surrealistic art, she said she finds solace in the control offered by realism, particularly in drawing.

Edmunds describes drawing with a pencil like an extension of her hand.

For Edmunds, art serves as a vessel of emotional expression and exploration. Drawing with pencil provides her with a sense of control, while painting offers a different kind of liberation, allowing her to embrace imperfections and incorporate them into her work.

“There’s so much less control,” she said. “It’s easier to work those mistakes in instead of feeling like I have to make everything perfect,” she said.

In her portraits, Edmunds finds joy in capturing moments of pure happiness. She believes expressions convey a depth of emotion that surpasses a photo.

“When you can draw somebody who looks just truly happy, it can really capture that moment in a way that a photograph doesn’t as much because it just feels more personal,” she said.

Through her art, Edmunds said she seeks to evoke empathy, connection and healing, inviting viewers to delve into the complexities of human emotion and experience.

Bradley Griffin: The Drama of Redemption

As a professor of Theatre and divisional dean of Fine Arts, Bradley Griffin understands the impact that storytelling can have on the human psyche. Through theater, Griffin said he seeks to create a safe and supportive environment where students can explore the depths of their emotions and discover the healing power of creativity.

“In theater, you need to be able to take

risks in order to make discoveries,” Griffin said. “It’s about creating an environment where students feel free to express themselves and take creative leaps.

Griffin said the stage serves as a special space, where individuals can confront their fears and, ultimately, find redemption.

“Drama is all about conflict,” he said. “But, through that conflict, we find catharsis and healing.”

Taylor Faas: Dance Through Adversity

For senior Taylor Faas, dance has been more than just a form of artistic expression — it has been a lifeline, guiding her through the twists and turns of her journey, she said. From her early days as a young dancer to her role as a choreog rapher for Dance In Flight, Faas’ passion for dance has burned brightly, infusing every movement with meaning and intention.

“As I choreograph a piece, I always try to tie it back to an event that I’ve experienced or some sort of general emotion that I felt in my life,” Faas said. “It’s my favorite way of express ing myself.”

Yet, Faas’ dance journey has not been without its challeng es. A devastating injury nearly crushed her dreams, which she said cast a shadow over her love for dance.

“When I was 17, I tore my hip la brum and was unable to dance for a while,” she said. “It was a period of darkness, but through dance, I found my way back to joy.”

Faas said dance served as a healthy out let for processing emotions. During her pe riod of injury and darkness, dance provid ed her with a means to express and work through her feelings.

Faas choreographed a contemporary piece called ‘Do you ever wonder if your missing piece is yourself?’ for Dance in Flight Spring 2024, which centered around her own experience of injury and recovery. She said this piece represented her journey, with the younger version of herself symbolizing joy and passion for dance and obstacles repre senting challenges like her injury.

Through this choreography, she said she

was able to externalize and visually represent her experience, allowing her to confront and, ultimately, overcome her struggles.

“[Dance is] my favorite way to express myself.”

Taylor Faas Senior

Yvette Gellis, visiting assistant professor of Art, is a visual artist. She said her work serves as a reflection of her innermost thoughts and emotions — a testament to the healing power of creativity.

“I’ve always found comfort in painting,” Gellis said. “It’s a way for me to process my emotions and find peace amidst the chaos of life.”

For Gellis, art has been a constant companion — a source of solace and strength in times of adversity.

“There’s a sense of liberation that comes from expressing yourself through art,” she said. “It’s like a form of therapy, allowing you to release what’s weighing heavy on your heart.”

Gellis said expressing oneself through art can bring a sense of liberation. Art allows individuals to release emotions and thoughts that may be weighing heavy on their hearts, she said. Through art, individuals can find freedom from emotional burdens.

Yvette Gellis: Paint the Colors of Resilience

Art by Yvette Gellis

Eden Reitnour: Experimenting with Ease

Junior Eden Reitnour’s artistic journey began long before her college days with childhood memories of crafting and creativity shaping her path.

“I’ve kind of always made art,” she said. “I remember putting that I wanted to be an artist on a first-grade question paper.”

Reitnour’s affinity for sewing and working with fabric and fiber blossomed early on, with sewing, crocheting and weaving becoming her favorite mediums of expression.

Reitnour describes her style as “a little bit chaotic.” Her approach is characterized by a strong desire for knowledge and experimentation.

“My approach is to learn as much as I can about as many mediums as I can.” she said.

This year, she said she has delved into woodworking, whittling, carving and more, eager to expand her artistic repertoire. Her focus lies not only on mastering techniques but also on using these diverse mediums to give voice to her ideas and emotions.

For Reitnour, art serves as a vehicle for self-discovery and healing, offering a sanctuary where she can navigate the complexities of grief and pain.

In the fall semester, she said she had a sketchbook project exploring these themes, creating a series of works centered around the concept of “sunshine grief.” Through this project, she said she found solace in structured creativity, allowing herself the space to process and heal.

Drawing inspiration from musical artists like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Mumford and Sons. Reitnour said she infuses her artwork with the soul ful melodies and poi gnant lyrics that have shaped her emotional experience.

In her creative pro cess, Reitnour said she finds peace in the physical act of cre ating, embracing la bor-intensive projects as a form of medita tion and release.

“I really love to work on labor-intensive, repetitive action proj ects,” she said. Cleaning up the studio space or tend ing to the tools of her trade becomes a ritual of gratitude, a reminder of her connection to the earth and the art of creation, she said.

Through her art, Reitnour said she invites aspiring artists to see glimpses of light and hope amid the shadows of grief and pain.

Art by Eden Reitnour

Isabella Alvarez: Sculpting the Soul

In the gentle embrace of clay, first-year Isabella Alvarez finds herself through art. When Alvarez was a child, she said she was selective-mute, and when she interacted with clay, she began to mold and shape her innermost thoughts and emotions into a tangible form.

She works on large-scale pieces and creates abstract, modern and contemporary art. She said her sculptures may not adhere to traditional forms or representational subjects but instead explore abstract concepts and forms.

She likes to feature vibrant colors, intri cate textures, bold patterns and varied scales, adding visual interest and complexity to her work.

As a sculptor, Alvarez’s work speaks volumes, capturing the essence of the human experience with grace and precision.

“For me, sculpting is a form of meditation,” Alvarez said. “It allows me to connect with my innermost self and explore the depths of my being.”

Through her art, Alvarez seeks to inspire others to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and healing.

“There’s beauty in imperfection,” she said. “And, through art, we can learn to embrace our flaws and celebrate ourselves.”

Finding Strength in Creativity

Reflecting on the stories of Faas, Gellis, Edmunds, Griffin, Alvarez and Reitnour is a reminder of the profound impact that art can have on individual lives. Whether through crocheting, drawing, woodworking, dancing, painting, acting or sculpting, each of these individuals has found solace and healing in the creative process.

Their stories teach strength in creativity, courage in vulnerability and hope in the beauty of the human spirit.

Art by Isabella Alvarez

Art by Yvette Gellis

in Love iFdn i ng and Falling

Stephen Weinstock and Lexington Russell

ollege offers students a space for meeting new people, making friends and making connections. It can act as a time for people to have experiences they may have never gone through before and become exposed to a plethora of places and people from all walks of life.

This influential time in college can also provide the opportunity to form romantic relationships and fall in love. Some students will meet the love of their lives; others will meet someone they hope to be their life partner. For two Pepperdine couples, being together in a university setting deepens not only their connection to their faith but their love for one another.

Couples Share Their Love Stories

Story by Emma Ibarra

Photos by Mary Elisabeth

Design by Marley Penagos

“[Love is] not just a physical attraction or an attraction to someone’s mindset or personality,” junior Stephen Weinstock said. “For me, love is the desire to see the best for someone outside of yourself and, maybe, in spite of yourself.”

Lexington and Stephen’s Shuttle Stop Meet-Cute

Wandering around Smothers Theatre, lost and confused, junior Stephen Weinstock asked junior Lexington Russell for directions to the nearest shuttle stop during their first year of college in 2021. “I was immediately taken by her beauty,” Weinstock said. “I would say it was love at first sight. We just hit it off.”

As the two started chatting, they both walked to the shuttle, and he dropped her off at her class at the Center for Communication and Business.

After she got off the shuttle, Weinstock turned to the friend he was with and told him about how they hit it off. Weinstock wanted to ask Russell out. Coincidentally, when Weinstock and his friend returned to campus after a trip to Trader Joe’s, he and Russell met on the shuttle again.

“I went, ‘This is it; this is fate,’ and I got her contact information,” Weinstock said.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing from then on. Weinstock discovered that Russell had been in a relationship with someone from high school at the time.

“I marked it as a lost affair,” Weinstock said.

About a year later, Russell’s romantic relationship from high school ended. As the spring semester of

2022 approached, Russell reached out to Weinstock again, and the two began hanging out.

“Everything I felt during that interaction at the shuttle stop before immediately came back, and we completely hit it off and spent the remainder of the school year doing everything under the sun together,” Russell said.

The two took a spontaneous trip to San Francisco in the middle of the day and went to Joshua Tree, California, and other regional spots during the end of their first year of college.

“We did fall in love in those five weeks, I would say,” Russell said. “We quickly started dating after that, and it’s been history ever since.”

Now juniors, the pair’s relationship has flourished as they have both learned to navigate their romantic love alongside their love for God. Russell said attending a Christian institution was a priority because she wanted to strengthen her faith.

“Meeting Stephen and realizing that he had that similar identity and also was a follower who prioritized living a life that glorified Christ made our relationship so much more sweet,” Russell said.

Looking back on his first year and the time since they began dating, Weinstock said he finally saw all the ways a Christian relationship can strengthen someone’s personal relationship with the Lord. This changed the way Weinstock views friendships, familial relationships and romantic relationships.

“We’re not perfect,” Weinstock said. “We are very far from perfect, but just being able to love each other through our imperfections — being able to disagree without attacking each other, being able to solve the problem without an easy exit — it just shows that we are in this for the long run. We are looking to love each other more like Christ every day.”

The pair said being able to see each other every day while in the same grade is a blessing, and both Russell and Weinstock said graduating at the same time will allow them to plan their next steps in sync.

“I would definitely say I prefer to be in the same college as my partner and be able to grow up together,” Russell said. “I think it’s a really sweet experience.”

Russell recalled a time from a past Valentine’s Day when Weinstock did not have a car, so he walked miles to get her flowers for the holiday. This is just one of many instances when he demonstrated his generosity.

Russell went on to speak on Weinstock’s integrity and said he always seeks to be very honest about his feelings, his experiences and his life.

“He never cuts corners, and he’s the type of

person who picks up trash when no one is looking and always chooses to do the right thing,” Russell said.

Russell expressed her appreciation for Weinstock’s loyalty, whether it is toward his family, his cats or herself.

As for Weinstock’s favorite qualities about Russell, he said he loves her compassion, stating that she has a special and unique love for all people.

“She genuinely has very deep compassion and willingness and openness to love. It’s something I aspire to grow towards,” Weinstock said.

Weinstock appreciates Russell’s optimism. He said he is a realist rather than a pessimist, but Russell’s positive demeanor allows him to view the world in a better light.

“If she was like me, this would never work because I need someone to remind me there is good in the world, that people aren’t all bad and that things are going to be okay,” Weinstock said.

Weinstock said Russell beautifully displays the sense of inner peace that comes with optimism, and he strives to be more like her in that regard. Weinstock also loves her deep wisdom. Russell is someone anyone can come to for advice — personal or spiritual — and he loves her openness to helping others.

When the pair gets into disagreements, Russell said communication is key. As long as the two are upfront and vulnerable about their emotions, there is no scenario too difficult to get through.

“Even if we’re not right, we just like to disclose where it is we are coming from and why we feel the way we do,” Weinstock said.

Even on their hardest days, Weinstock said he still desires the best for Russell. It’s an active emotion rather than an emotional feeling, and the love he has for Russell is wonderful and indescribable.

“There’s been ups and downs, but it’s [the love is] undeniable,” Russell said. “There’s just an abundance of love for the other person. It surpasses all understanding, truly.”

After dating exclusively for two years, the pair celebrated their anniversary on April 5. On any given day, their love makes them excited to wake up, Weinstock said.

Kira and Brandon’s Kindling Romance

Junior Kira Landis and senior Brandon Olson have been together for a year and a half. The two first met when they were both working at Pepperdine’s Special Programs over the summer. Olson said he remembers walking into the building and seeing Landis working the front desk.

“In my head, I said, ‘Woah, I need to talk to her,’” Olson said. “She was so beautiful, and I just really wanted to get to know her.”

Olson tried his best to talk to Landis, asking her about her studies and what she was interested in. Later on in their conversation, Olson spoke about his time spent in the military prior to attending college.

From that point on, whenever he was at work with Landis, he found intermittent windows of time to talk to her and slowly got to know her before finally asking her out.

The pair went on their first date at Ralphs Beach in Malibu under the understanding that they would surf together.

“I said I wanted to surf; she told me she wanted to surf too, but I had no idea how to surf,” Olson said, chuckling. “But I said, ‘We’re going to learn together.’”

The day of the date finally came, but Olson’s roommate needed his surfboard that day. He said he was thankful he wouldn’t actually have to surf, and Landis was more than willing to simply converse at the beach instead. The two spoke about God and their futures and had an amazing date.

The pair are both English majors and belong to organizations such as the Ambassador Council and Housing and Residence Life. Both said their involvement in campus life has been a positive experience.

“People know us as a team because we’re together a lot, and we do the same things,” Landis said. “Our likes are so similar, and we love doing everything together.”

Both Landis and Olson agreed their faith and work lives have only grown since they became a couple.

“Being at this school has strengthened our faith, and while I can’t speak to what being at school together would be like at another place, it’s helped our identity within our relationship at Pepperdine specifically,” Olson said. “We talk about our beliefs — what this [Bible] verse or that verse means — and, overall, it’s brought us closer together.”

Olson beamed when he described his love for Landis’ kind heart and expressed his admiration for her compassion.

“She’s so kind, very empathetic, understanding and patient,” Olson said. “Those are some very beautiful traits of Kira.”

Meanwhile, Landis said she loves Olson’s energy and loving nature.

“He’s hardworking, whether with school or work — just everything he puts into our relationship,” Landis said. “He’s also sacrificial and sacrifices a lot for me, for us, for everyone.”

When the duo faces tumultuous times, they said communication is extremely important, whether during disagreements or controversial conversations.

“We talk through everything,” Landis said. “If you feel any sort of way, clarify that in the moment.”

Aiming to get to the heart of the concern, Olson does his best to understand where he and Landis may be coming from and talk through whatever it is they are discussing.

For Olson, love is an action and a sacrifice. He said being patient, understanding and kind toward all is a strong way to show love. Landis agreed and said her love for Olson embodies this kind of love.

“I describe my love for Brandon by saying, ‘It’s easy,’” Landis said. “Life isn’t easy; relationships aren’t easy, but loving him is so easy to do.”

Landis exclaimed loving Olson is like her “sixth sense” and comes to her like a second nature. She said she used to never think she could experience a love like this, but she is happy to have been proven wrong.

“Loving is about forgiveness, and I learn how to love deeper because of Kira,” Olson said. “Who she is teaches me to be more loving, and I become a better person because of her. I learned how to forgive, how to be understanding and how to be more kind. My love for her is alive.”

Photo courtesy of Brandon Olson and Kira Landis

FAITH UNFOLDING

A Look at Students’ Spiritual Journeys

Story by Yamillah Hurtado | Photos by Mary Elisabeth | Design by Will Fallmer

“I started to realize that God had always been there, I just did not know His name.”

Natalie Alderton Senior

Senior James LaRue, who is Bahá’í, said he was drawn to Pepperdine because it is a Christian university. An element of the Bahá’í faith is “independent investigation of the truth,” which means working toward discernment of one’s belief in Bahá’í teachings, LaRue said.

College is a time when students can explore their identity and step into their personhood, no longer tethered as they once were to the beliefs and values of their family. Students like LaRue said Pepperdine is the place where they have been able to discern their faith.

“It [LaRue’s spiritual journey] hasn’t been a straight shot,” LaRue said. “I’ve been learning throughout the entire thing.”

Discovering New Perspectives

A principle of the Bahá’í faith is to be in fellowship with and learn from those of diferent religions, LaRue said. Being at a Christian university encouraged LaRue to step outside of his boundaries and have meaningful conversations with other people of faith. He said these thought-provoking conversations have shaped his beliefs and understanding of religion.

“My life has changed because I’m being exposed to those other ways of thinking I wasn’t before,” LaRue said.

In the same way, junior Brent Long said being exposed to different perspectives of religion, particularly within Christianity, has positively impacted his Christian faith. Though the diversity of Christian beliefs has been a point of contention and disagreement, Long said he believes all perspectives are valuable and worth understanding.

“It feels like I have a whole box of diferent ways to look at the Bible that I get to put together [under] this beautiful magnifying glass,” Long said.

Similarly, being surrounded by diferent perspectives strengthened LaRue’s faith, he said, and he wants to provide other students with the opportunity to be exposed to diferent beliefs. LaRue, along with two of his friends — junior Micaela Shackleford and senior Colin Wiese — formed an interfaith group on campus called Beyond the Bubble.

“We wanted to try to ofer to students [the opportunity to] explore their faith and share but also learn from others who are not like them,” LaRue said.

What is Faith Without Doubt?

Though exposure to a wide range of new perspectives and interpretations of text has transformed students’ faith, they said

it has also challenged it.

During her frst year of college, junior Alia Grogan went through what she described as a “faith crisis.”

Raised in a Christian household, Grogan said she always had a relationship with God. But, it wasn’t until entering college and engaging in spiritual conversations with others that she realized how surface-level that relationship had been all along.

“It was like, ‘Oh, whoa, this [my faith] is actually so much shallower than I thought,’” Grogan said.

One of her friendships, in particular, sparked Grogan’s questioning and doubt. In their friendship, Grogan’s friend — who didn’t know much about Christianity — brought forth a lot of spiritual and Biblical questions into their conversations. Grogan, not having the answers to these questions, said she realized her faith lacked a deeper understanding.

“I realized there were a lot of holes in my faith,” Grogan said.

Having been baptized in a Protestant church in his junior year of high school, Long said his faith was strong when he came to Pepperdine, and he was excited to continue his spiritual walk in college.

During New Student Orientation, Long said God called him to

switch his major from History and Political Science to Religion. Being a Religion major has allowed Long to question and wrestle in his faith, which he said has made it stronger. Long said he believes questions and doubt are intertwined with faith.

“It’s [being at Pepperdine] made me challenge. It’s made me question. It’s made me doubt,” Long said. “It’s made me walk through the fre. And it’s a beautiful, purifying fre, but it still burns.”

This wrestling both Grogan and Long dealt with is not uncommon

for young adults to go through.

Embracing the Wrestle

Both Falon Barton, University Church of Christ campus minister, and Rachel Collins, visiting assistant instructor of Religion, have made it their goal to understand how they as spiritual mentors/ resources can care for and nurture those who are wrestling with their faith, have religious trauma or are religiously apathetic, they said.

As people who discovered their faith as opposed to being raised in it, Barton and Collins said they

have a deep love for those seeking.

“I care a lot because I have been there,” Barton said.

When students have opened up to Barton and Collins about their questions or doubts, the two women act as a non-anxious presence, listen to students and ask them questions to help them process what they’re thinking and feeling.

“My goal is to hear their experience. Period. Full stop,” Collins said. “Their experience and their opinions and their feelings about all of that are worth being held.”

With years of experience in

Alia Grogan Junior James LaRue Senior

campus ministry, Barton said she has heard it all and doesn’t want students to feel ashamed of what they bring forth.

“They [students] are not alone in those experiences,” Barton said. “There are people who can hear them, won’t leave them and can help process it with them. For me, [I believe] that God hears them, believes them and is in it with them.”

Barton and Collins have learned to approach conversations of doubt with peace and understanding as opposed to problem-solving. She said this

helps students feel at ease no matter how chaotic their feelings can seem.

“It can be tumultuous waters, spiritually,” Barton said. “As someone who’s hearing you and processing with you, I don’t need to be pulled into the waters as well. I can be something sturdy to hold on to, even for just a moment.”

At the end of one conversation, Barton and Collins know students’ doubts are unlikely to be resolved, but they said they hope it can provide healing.

As a mentor on campus, Barton

recognizes her theology matters; it sets the standard for how she works with students. If one’s theology is based on the perception that God is a God of anger, they will approach doubt with anger. But, if one’s theology is based on the perception that God is a God of love, they will approach doubt with love.

“That [Our theology] is going to shape how we interact with other people, that’s going to shape ourselves and how we treat ourselves when we’re going through that sufering,” Barton said.

Brent Long Junior

Natalie Alderton Senior

Faith Communities Embody God’s Love

Senior Natalie Alderton said she grew up in a non-religious household. When she frst started going to church in high school, everything about it was uncomfortable to her.

Alderton quickly became aware that she didn’t speak the language of the church and didn’t know what exactly she believed in, she said. With time, she developed a deep love for God.

“I started to realize that God had always been there, I just

[did] not know his name,” Alderton said.

Though Alderton believed in God, for a while she said she remained hesitant toward church. This was a result of seeing how hypocritical and hurtful the church can be. She came to realize congregations are made of fawed people who won’t always represent the gospel perfectly, Alderton said.

“That has been a big learning thing for me — [knowing] that church doesn’t have to be perfect to be the place that I belong,” Alderton said.

At frst, Pepperdine’s Christian afliation worried Alderton. She said she was weary of the church culture on campus. Refecting on the past four years since being in college, Alderton said Pepperdine helped mend her view and relationship with church.

“I’ve realized that we are meant to be in community as Christians and that we can call each other higher and love each other and support each other,” Alderton said.

Alderton is a part of John and Sara Barton’s Bible study. John Barton is the director of the Cen-

ter for Faith and Learning as well as a Religion professor, and Sara Barton is the University Chaplain.

Alderton said the Bible study has been life-changing for her. In their weekly meetings, she said they tackle the big questions of faith and reconcile them with an understanding of who God is.

“It is truly the thing I look forward to most in my life,” Alderton said. “Tuesday night Bible studies are so precious to me.”

Her involvement in Bible studies and the spiritual growth she’s experienced led to her decision to be baptized in February. Alderton said

she took her time to get baptized because she wanted to be certain this is what she wanted in life.

“I did not want to get baptized and think that that was something that I could just take back or something that I could change,” Alderton said. “For me, it was a true decision to follow Christ for all of my days.”

Long and LaRue are also a part of the Bartons’ Bible study.

Despite having a minority religious identity, LaRue said he has not felt isolated on campus. He said he’s encountered a genuine curiosity toward diferent reli-

gions and an eagerness to learn more from other students.

LaRue said he feels his Bahá’í identity has been embraced at Pepperdine, and he calls the University his home. Students like LaRue said they are grateful for the space Pepperdine provides for students to learn and grow in their faith.

Collins said she wants students to know faith isn’t something you lose; rather, it is something that is constantly unfolding.

James LaRue Senior Natalie Alderton Senior

LESSONS LEARNED

Students Reflect on Their Growth Story

by Liza Esquibias

Photos by Mary Elisabeth Design by Yamillah Hurtado

Life lessons are like a time capsule — every one of them holds a memory of the past.

As people grow up and adapt to various chapters of life, little pieces of every fleeting moment follow them. It often isn’t until one reaches a pivotal time that they realize all the little things that brought them there.

Junior Viviana Hernandez said the triumphs and hardships she went through her first couple of years in college taught her a valuable life lesson.

“The best life lesson I have learned from my first year at Pepperdine to now is to love yourself unconditionally,” Hernandez said. “Goodness, I think of that girl freshman year that started, and in so many areas of my life, I feel so disconnected and different from her.”

Entering Adulthood

Hernandez said she came into Pepperdine with different priorities than she has now.

“When I first started college, I really only cared about what outfit I was going to wear to class and who I would talk to walking back to the dorms,” Hernandez said. “I was worried about boys and friend drama constantly during freshman year. Now, especially after being in Washington D.C. this semester, I am focused on my career, my friends, my goals.”

Once she found her core group of friends — the ones who never judged her and welcomed her for who she was — Hernandez said she was able to embrace her true self. Going into her senior year, Hernandez said she is happy she knows who she can lean on for support.

“I am a better human being today because of these women [her friends] and their love,” Hernandez said.

Coming into college, junior Claire Everbach said the move from Texas to California was a culture shock. She was unsure what to expect and had an undeclared major. She said she chose to be a Psychology major on a whim and joined the Tri Delta sorority.

“The adjustment in and of itself is a lot for an 18-year-old to take on,” Everbach said.

Living on her own for the first time and trying to find her passion, it wasn’t until halfway into her sophomore year that Everbach decided to take the plunge and switch her major to Communication with a minor in Journalism. She said she was then determined to get involved in something that brought her closer to a community with similar career goals, so she joined the campus news show, NewsWaves.

“Before that, I didn’t really have a place at Pep-

perdine where I felt like I was doing something,” Everbach said. “From an outside perspective, it would be a little daunting, but now that I’m definitely in that community, and I’ve worked my way up on NewsWaves, I definitely see a lot of personal growth that has happened.”

Everbach has now held multiple positions on NewsWaves: Associate Reporter, Entertainment Reporter, Field Reporter, Producer and Anchor.

Entering a new place where senior Annika Huckeba had to pave a new path was unfamiliar to navigate, she said. Growing up, Huckeba said she always shared everything with her sisters, and college taught her to seek companionship in her faith.

“The first time in my life that I was ever alone was college, and I just had the sense of like, ‘Oh my gosh, I am so alone in this whole little world, and I feel so small and so little’ and all these things,” Huckeba said. “I think that time is when I learned God has to be your number one best friend.”

Senior Dave Lee said his initial idea of college was completely different from what he experienced once he got to Pepperdine. He said a lot of his expectations fit what he had seen college to be like in movies.

“The best life lesson I have learned from my first year at Pepperdine to now is to love yourself unconditionally.” Viviana Hernandez

“Especially after the first year being COVID, I was so excited to come into Pepperdine that fall and just be exposed to so many people, but it wasn’t really the case,” Lee said.

The first few weeks on campus were challenging for Lee. He said he felt alone and confused because he was stuck in a cycle of comparing his experience to his friends’ experiences at more “common” colleges.

“Then, I learned that — meeting people — it’s sort of like a virus,” Lee said. “Like, you meet some people, and then you meet their friends, and you meet their friends’ friends. I remember it just got to one point where I was just meeting so many people, and that was awesome.”

Immersing himself into the Pepperdine community through socialization helped Lee accept that he was going to have his own college lifestyle, and that led him to adjust his expectations for the next two years.

“The first stage was being almost envious or jealous of the other schools,” Lee said. “But then, I shifted to appreciating and noticing the things that are unique about Pepperdine.”

Claiming an Identity

Amid the changes that came with college, Everbach said she was timid. The adjustment felt overwhelming at times, and it took a while to break out of her shell.

“I was super shy,” Everbach said. “I’d say even insecure.”

When it became imperative that she branch out and form relationships with those around her, Everbach said she felt a change within her.

“It taught me the lesson of being open-minded

and being inclusive and curious about other people,” Everbach said. “I also think independence is definitely something that I’ve picked up on a lot freshman year and in the last three years.”

She said each year at Pepperdine has acted as a stepping stone leading her to her true self.

“If I told freshman-year me that I was in the position I am, yeah, I don’t think she would believe me,” Everbach said.

As Lee tried to find friends at Pepperdine, he said he joined an investment group and a business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, to help himself feel more connected to the life he wanted to live after he graduated.

“I found a passion, or a desire, for that [finance], which I really liked,” Lee said. “So, I’d say, my sophomore and junior years, Iliked to spend a lot of time with the Investment Club, and I was really inspired by people coming in and building a community.”

Practicing how to learn from others and how to share his own knowledge is a skill Lee said he is grateful to have developed.

Finding a sense of security within herself wasn’t necessarily easy, Hernandez said. She has had to remind herself not to care what others think about her in order to develop a stronger sense of confidence, even though, in the moment, it feels difficult.

“Sometimes, showing yourself self-love is showing yourself tough love,” Hernandez said.

Having a tight-knit circle she can count on has given Huckeba a hand in finding herself throughout college. She said unconditional love has meant a lot.

“I have made friends here in college who have seen me and loved me through really awful things

Photo courtesy of Annika Huckeba

Photo courtesy of Viviana Hernandez

Photo courtesy of Claire Everbach

but also have just made me feel seen — so seen and loved — more so than any friends I have ever had in the past,” Huckeba said.

At the same time, Huckeba said she constantly reminds herself that her worth and identity rely on her relationship with herself and God rather than external validation.

“I didn’t even know if my daily experiences were happening or were real because there was no one there to experience them with me,” Huckeba said. “I almost needed someone to validate my existence.”

Now, she said she appreciates life because “it is a real experience, and God is experiencing it with me.”

Looking Ahead

Starting fall 2024, Everbach will be a graduating senior. She said she knows she will have to start the job search, be mindful of the classes she’s taking, decide where to live and transition into an entirely new phase of life.

“I feel very mature, but I also am not ready to graduate — and I don’t necessarily want to either,” Everbach said.

Still, Everbach said she knows it is inevitable, so she is trying to live in the present moment and soak in the time she has left. Having settled into being this confident, social person at Pepperdine, the idea of having to start over again brings mixed emotions.

“The closer I get, it’s like the less ready I start to feel,” Everbach said.

Huckeba said she feels the same way at times.

“I’m scared to leave the people at Pepperdine,” Huckeba said. “I am so deeply grateful for the community around me.”

The idea of leaving behind the people Huckeba said have shaped her into who she is today is emotional. Her friendships at Pepperdine have been the most important thing to her so far in her life, and she will carry them into her future.

“I’ve learned what friendship looks like in college more than I ever had in my entire life,” Huckeba said. “I learned what it looks like to work through things, to love people in a deep way, to love each other through our faults, to celebrate with each other, to laugh, to cry, to dance. To do every human emotion together and to actively choose to do it together in such a deep and beautiful way.”

Huckeba is studying to be a doctor — a profession she hopes to use to help those in need.

“I want to go to med school for four years and do my residency, and then I want to spend the rest of my life giving away all those skills and things I’ve learned for free in every way I can,” Huckeba said.

Lee said he wants to go into finance after graduation, and he isn’t afraid of the unknown or change, even if he will miss the consistency he has had at Pepperdine.

“I always feel like Pepperdine sort of sheltered me into this comfortable and very nice place,” Lee said. “And, breaking away from that — I know it’ll be uncomfortable — but I know that I’ll grow from it a lot. I’m excited, and I do feel ready and prepared.”

Believing in oneself is the best form of self-care, Hernandez said. As long as she is happy with who she is, that is what matters because she will always be there for herself.

“The best advice I have received is simply to just let them,” Hernandez said. “Let them leave. Let them choose someone else. Let them say what they are going to say about you. Let them, and don’t let it harden your heart.”

Photo courtesy of Annika Huckeba

Photo courtesy of Claire Everbach

Photo courtesy of Viviana Hernandez

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