As a Christian university, Pepperdine expresses its Christian principles through all aspects of academic life and administrative policy. The university affirms that truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, should be pursued relentlessly in every discipline. Students, faculty, and staff members of all faith traditions are welcome to become part of the Pepperdine University community. Please tell us a little bit about how faith has influenced your life. (50-300 words)
Life for me before accepting god into my life was not the best. Even though we were catholics my family hardly even attended church. Just having a faith motivated my parents to be disciplined parents in order for us to be good kids. I was alway surrounded by bad influences like street gangs and family members but my parents managed to keep me from being out there in the streets because of what they learned from going to church of being disciplined parents. But just attending church a few times a year was not enough for me and when junior high came I started messing up.
The first two years of my junior high I would always be on behavior contracts in 6th grade for my bad behavior and got suspended 2 times in 7th grade for fighting and tagging on my teacher’s desk. Then, in 8th grade my parents converted to christianity and slowly but progressively changes started happening. My family and I started attending church every week and there was more connectedness within my family. My brothers and I joined boxing and it kept us distracted from the streets.
When I attend church I learn so many valuable lessons from fellow church members and pastors through their lectures and testimonies. The knowledge I receive when going to church gives me strength to continue to live a life with a purpose for god and to learn from other people’s mistakes or experiences. I made spiritual goals for my future to help the youth by becoming a youth leader myself in a evangelical church. Currently, I’m involved in all youth activities that we have at church like dramas, bible study, and fundraising for the church. I also volunteer every time after church by cleaning the church.