Now that I am nearing the last year of my journey at SWU, I can’t help but look back on the time I’ve spent here and all it has meant to me and who I am. I can truly say that I’ve grown so much while being at SWU. The person I was freshman year is not the person I am now, and I can say this is directly from the life-changing experiences I’ve had while on this campus.
DECIDING WHERE TO ATTEND COLLEGE
When deciding on colleges, I sifted through letters upon letters from universities where I would just be another number and receive a very impersonal education. However, I was at a point in life where I needed exactly the opposite of that. My years spent in high school were some of the most challenging years of my life. I had reached a point where it seemed as though the world was hitting me from every possible angle. I was struggling in my faith and turned to many things I thought would help me cope with my pain and depression. I distanced myself from those who loved me the most and built up a wall between me and God. However, God was chipping away at this wall without me even being aware. Funny enough, SWU, with its Christ-centered education and spiritually-lead campus was not at the top of my list even as a pastor’s kid. I was running from God and looking in every other direction. But wherever I turned, God put SWU directly in my path. I toured a total of five different colleges, but, with every new campus I saw, I was growing increasingly aware of where God really wanted me: SWU.
From the moment I stepped on campus, I immediately felt the Holy Spirit just resting on this place.
WHY SWU WAS THE BEST CHOICE
Coming to Southern Wesleyan University has been the best decision I’ve made in my entire life. From the moment I stepped on campus, I immediately felt the Holy Spirit just resting on this place. I felt it in my classes when professors would start their lectures with prayer, I felt it in chapel where fellow students lead us all in worship, and I felt it in my everyday interactions with my friends. God just governs over this campus and it has deeply touched my heart since I got here. However, SWU does not shove Christianity down your throat, but encourages every student to live a better life under the influence of Christ. From weekly chapels, discipleship groups, Spiritual Emphasis Week, and ministry teams, SWU has deepened my understanding and love for Christ. No matter how hard I tried to run, God just pulled me back to him. I’ve had some of the most life-changing spiritual encounters on this campus. I’ve answered a call to worship ministry, I’ve joined the Chapel Band, and I’ve even had the incredible opportunity to preach to my peers in Chapel. These are times that I’ll never be able to thank God for. Times that He has proven over and over again just how much He loves me.
Overall, my time at SWU has been absolutely amazing and definitely an experience I would never change. Spiritually, SWU has helped me grow tremendously and made me feel as though I matter to the Kingdom of God. This campus has been such a safe environment for me to learn who I am and, more importantly, whose I am. While I am definitely still a work in progress, I’ll forever be grateful for the help along the way that I received at SWU.
