Writing Samples
Finding "The One"
No...not that one. Well, kinda. But we'll get to that.
I'm talking about the one reason you're here. You know, your purpose. Do you know yours?
The unfortunate reality is that many, many people go their entire lives and never truly figure out the reason they're on this earth. Some people come very close to discovering their purpose, and others outright reject theirs. But across the board, I've noticed one thing that I've found so romantic yet so, so terrifying: more often than not, the pursuit of purpose costs a lot - if not everything.
Purpose requires passion, and passion requires devotion - a commitment that defies all logic and make you question exactly who you are. Your purpose will force you to be uncomfortable. It will strip you down to your core self and leave you feeling vulnerable and unarmed. But this phenomenon is a paradox; you'll find strength and tenacity in your pursuit of purpose. Sound familiar? You've probably experienced something identical in your relationships with friends, family, significant others and more. I've learned to treat my purpose as a committed relationship much like the aforementioned. It looks kinda like this:
Music gives me butterflies - just as much today as it did twenty years ago. I can't get enough of it. Music and I spend long hours wide awake at night just to be together. Every effort that I make to know Music is equally reciprocated as it pulls my deepest self to the surface like nobody else can. Music just intoxicates me. The truth is, very few people on this earth have made me feel the way that Music has, and very few people on this earth know me like Music does. There is truly nothing like it; our relationship is evergreen. And that's how I know Music is The One.
But our relationship isn't perfect all the time.
Sometimes Music infuriates me. Sometimes it pushes me to my limit, to the point where I reluctantly walk away for a few days, and sometimes months. But I always come back; Music and I are going to grow old together. Music has demanded such a big part of me, and it continues to demand more and more each day. And though I don't like to admit it, I almost always recklessly and willingly oblige at any cost. But you know what? The ups and downs are all worth it.
I can only hope people love what they do as much as I love Music.
Did something come to mind as you read about my experience with Music? If so, awesome! My advice to you is to incorporate your purpose into as many aspects of your life as possible. It'll likely find its way into them anyway. I can thank Music for my career, my wildest memories, and the boy I'm crazy in love with - all because I let it into every part of me that it saw fit. I owe Music everything.
Maybe nothing came to mind for you, and that's totally okay. But make sure that you waste no time in finding your purpose. Absolutely none. Although it's yours, it doesn't belong to you. The reason we have gifts is to share them with others. Find out what you would die for, and live for it. By doing so, you'll make the world a better place for all of us.
I'm talking about the one reason you're here. You know, your purpose. Do you know yours?
The unfortunate reality is that many, many people go their entire lives and never truly figure out the reason they're on this earth. Some people come very close to discovering their purpose, and others outright reject theirs. But across the board, I've noticed one thing that I've found so romantic yet so, so terrifying: more often than not, the pursuit of purpose costs a lot - if not everything.
Purpose requires passion, and passion requires devotion - a commitment that defies all logic and make you question exactly who you are. Your purpose will force you to be uncomfortable. It will strip you down to your core self and leave you feeling vulnerable and unarmed. But this phenomenon is a paradox; you'll find strength and tenacity in your pursuit of purpose. Sound familiar? You've probably experienced something identical in your relationships with friends, family, significant others and more. I've learned to treat my purpose as a committed relationship much like the aforementioned. It looks kinda like this:
Music gives me butterflies - just as much today as it did twenty years ago. I can't get enough of it. Music and I spend long hours wide awake at night just to be together. Every effort that I make to know Music is equally reciprocated as it pulls my deepest self to the surface like nobody else can. Music just intoxicates me. The truth is, very few people on this earth have made me feel the way that Music has, and very few people on this earth know me like Music does. There is truly nothing like it; our relationship is evergreen. And that's how I know Music is The One.
But our relationship isn't perfect all the time.
Sometimes Music infuriates me. Sometimes it pushes me to my limit, to the point where I reluctantly walk away for a few days, and sometimes months. But I always come back; Music and I are going to grow old together. Music has demanded such a big part of me, and it continues to demand more and more each day. And though I don't like to admit it, I almost always recklessly and willingly oblige at any cost. But you know what? The ups and downs are all worth it.
I can only hope people love what they do as much as I love Music.
Did something come to mind as you read about my experience with Music? If so, awesome! My advice to you is to incorporate your purpose into as many aspects of your life as possible. It'll likely find its way into them anyway. I can thank Music for my career, my wildest memories, and the boy I'm crazy in love with - all because I let it into every part of me that it saw fit. I owe Music everything.
Maybe nothing came to mind for you, and that's totally okay. But make sure that you waste no time in finding your purpose. Absolutely none. Although it's yours, it doesn't belong to you. The reason we have gifts is to share them with others. Find out what you would die for, and live for it. By doing so, you'll make the world a better place for all of us.
Pepperdine News Article
Pepperdine’s Malibu campus is dealing with growing pains.
The school’s Campus Life Project, which includes Payson Library, the School of Law and the new Seaside Residence Hall is causing students to react to campus renovation in different ways. Some are hopeful about the future, some are annoyed by the present, and some are indifferent altogether.
“For me it was just weird to have so many random people on campus,” junior Lauren Lalezarian said. “I wasn’t worried; I guess I just felt less at home.”
Pepperdine students, often overloaded with commitments and rigorous courses, have had to deal with unforeseen circumstances that come with the Campus Life project. Their tight schedules have often been compromised as a result.
“Sometimes the shuttle gets caught behind a forklift or something and I’m late for class,” Lalezarian said. “None of us can afford to be even two minutes behind schedule.”
Students that were abroad for the academic year missed the start of the project and avoided Payson construction. Students that came back last spring, however, dealt with big changes that altered their everyday routines.
“Coming back from abroad this past spring was tough because classes are so much easier there,” junior integrated marketing communication major Kelly Terjesen said. “I think having no library made the transition more difficult for me.”
Freshmen, who don’t know what once was, can’t compare the campus to years past. Many of them are thus not bothered but the commotion.
“I haven’t seen Pepperdine without [construction] so I’m really not upset,” freshman business administration major Ashling Sugarman said. “Pepperdine just needs to expand.”
This year’s freshman class is the largest that the university has ever seen. First-year students are dealing with the consequences - many of whom are doing so very flexibly.
“I get that living space is very limited, so overall I’m not really bothered,” freshman biology major Chris Kulpaca said. “The housing office sent an email to us [freshmen] last week offering a $1000 scholarship to anyone willing to turn their double [occupancy] room into a triple.”
Undergraduates aren't the only students affected by the construction. The Pepperdine School of Law is also part of the project. The high-stress environment hasn’t been too disrupted by the changes.
“Ultimately, it’s really not affecting my ability to learn,” junior international studies major Arissa Samaniego said. “It’s just not pretty, but everyone in the [School of Law] is too stressed to notice anyway.”
All departments of Pepperdine are adapting to the construction. Athletes have been forced to update their routines to work around roadblocks - in practice and in school.
“My [track and field] coach has a megaphone that he talks through a lot while we’re running laps,” sophomore political science major Kelly Champeau said. “As a student athlete studying is very important…We have to maintain a 2.5 [GPA].”
Newer facilities won’t just look better; they’ll contribute to Pepperdine’s reputation. Some students are hoping renovation will make their degree even more impressive.
“I’m hoping a newer and better campus will help with my future career,” Terjesen said. “I want people to look at my resume and be impressed with my [Pepperdine] degree, so hopefully this will work out in our favor.”
Many students who transferred to Pepperdine had chosen to do so before campus construction began. Some believe the news of the Campus Life Project was not effectively communicated to them.
“[Pepperdine] didn’t really inform us [transfer students] that there wasn’t going to be a library,” senior advertising major Melissa Mena said. “We came in expecting to have a place to work and study.”
Though some students were not informed of the Campus Life project, others who had visited the campus before had seen the updates in progress.
“I toured Pepperdine and saw the construction before I committed to coming here,” Kulpaca said. “Every college I saw had its pros and cons, so construction didn’t prevent me from crossing [Pepperdine] off of my list.”
Students living in the Lovernich Residence Hall reside right next to the site of the future Seaside Residence Hall. Though residents like Champeau deal with construction starting at 5 a.m. daily, she and her teammates see the early wake-up call as a blessing.
“The construction is right outside of my window,” Champeau said. “It wakes me up every morning for practice, which is nice.”
Although sophomores like Champeau deal with construction next to Lovernich daily, they are certainly lucky to live there. Despite Pepperdine’s very limited on-campus housing, some students hope improved facilities will bring about more notoriety among high school seniors.
“While construction may be a hassle this year, the finished product will take the school in a whole new direction and make it even more attractive to prospective students,” sophomore international business major Nolan Below said.
Construction has and will continue to take place in the summer as well as the school year. Students who enroll in summer courses will deal with the same level of construction.
“[Construction] was something in the summer that I hated,” Mena said. “Now living off campus I’m so grateful to not have to deal with it.”
Some students wish that the Campus Life budget was delegated differently. The athletic facilities were not given any renovation, which has made some students disappointed.
“At the end of the day, our 3500 undergrads have to share a gym that is packed when occupied by 30 people,” senior sports medicine major and Pepperdine Campus Recreation employee Evan Colburn said.
Seniors like Colburn won’t be around in the following years to enjoy the product of campus renovation. However, some students believe the legacy that it will leave will be beneficial to the campus that they leave behind overall.
“It feels like there’s so much blockage to endure for nothing,” senior psychology major Jaye Minor said. “But I do hope it’s worth it for Pepperdine’s student life in the future.”
The school’s Campus Life Project, which includes Payson Library, the School of Law and the new Seaside Residence Hall is causing students to react to campus renovation in different ways. Some are hopeful about the future, some are annoyed by the present, and some are indifferent altogether.
“For me it was just weird to have so many random people on campus,” junior Lauren Lalezarian said. “I wasn’t worried; I guess I just felt less at home.”
Pepperdine students, often overloaded with commitments and rigorous courses, have had to deal with unforeseen circumstances that come with the Campus Life project. Their tight schedules have often been compromised as a result.
“Sometimes the shuttle gets caught behind a forklift or something and I’m late for class,” Lalezarian said. “None of us can afford to be even two minutes behind schedule.”
Students that were abroad for the academic year missed the start of the project and avoided Payson construction. Students that came back last spring, however, dealt with big changes that altered their everyday routines.
“Coming back from abroad this past spring was tough because classes are so much easier there,” junior integrated marketing communication major Kelly Terjesen said. “I think having no library made the transition more difficult for me.”
Freshmen, who don’t know what once was, can’t compare the campus to years past. Many of them are thus not bothered but the commotion.
“I haven’t seen Pepperdine without [construction] so I’m really not upset,” freshman business administration major Ashling Sugarman said. “Pepperdine just needs to expand.”
This year’s freshman class is the largest that the university has ever seen. First-year students are dealing with the consequences - many of whom are doing so very flexibly.
“I get that living space is very limited, so overall I’m not really bothered,” freshman biology major Chris Kulpaca said. “The housing office sent an email to us [freshmen] last week offering a $1000 scholarship to anyone willing to turn their double [occupancy] room into a triple.”
Undergraduates aren't the only students affected by the construction. The Pepperdine School of Law is also part of the project. The high-stress environment hasn’t been too disrupted by the changes.
“Ultimately, it’s really not affecting my ability to learn,” junior international studies major Arissa Samaniego said. “It’s just not pretty, but everyone in the [School of Law] is too stressed to notice anyway.”
All departments of Pepperdine are adapting to the construction. Athletes have been forced to update their routines to work around roadblocks - in practice and in school.
“My [track and field] coach has a megaphone that he talks through a lot while we’re running laps,” sophomore political science major Kelly Champeau said. “As a student athlete studying is very important…We have to maintain a 2.5 [GPA].”
Newer facilities won’t just look better; they’ll contribute to Pepperdine’s reputation. Some students are hoping renovation will make their degree even more impressive.
“I’m hoping a newer and better campus will help with my future career,” Terjesen said. “I want people to look at my resume and be impressed with my [Pepperdine] degree, so hopefully this will work out in our favor.”
Many students who transferred to Pepperdine had chosen to do so before campus construction began. Some believe the news of the Campus Life Project was not effectively communicated to them.
“[Pepperdine] didn’t really inform us [transfer students] that there wasn’t going to be a library,” senior advertising major Melissa Mena said. “We came in expecting to have a place to work and study.”
Though some students were not informed of the Campus Life project, others who had visited the campus before had seen the updates in progress.
“I toured Pepperdine and saw the construction before I committed to coming here,” Kulpaca said. “Every college I saw had its pros and cons, so construction didn’t prevent me from crossing [Pepperdine] off of my list.”
Students living in the Lovernich Residence Hall reside right next to the site of the future Seaside Residence Hall. Though residents like Champeau deal with construction starting at 5 a.m. daily, she and her teammates see the early wake-up call as a blessing.
“The construction is right outside of my window,” Champeau said. “It wakes me up every morning for practice, which is nice.”
Although sophomores like Champeau deal with construction next to Lovernich daily, they are certainly lucky to live there. Despite Pepperdine’s very limited on-campus housing, some students hope improved facilities will bring about more notoriety among high school seniors.
“While construction may be a hassle this year, the finished product will take the school in a whole new direction and make it even more attractive to prospective students,” sophomore international business major Nolan Below said.
Construction has and will continue to take place in the summer as well as the school year. Students who enroll in summer courses will deal with the same level of construction.
“[Construction] was something in the summer that I hated,” Mena said. “Now living off campus I’m so grateful to not have to deal with it.”
Some students wish that the Campus Life budget was delegated differently. The athletic facilities were not given any renovation, which has made some students disappointed.
“At the end of the day, our 3500 undergrads have to share a gym that is packed when occupied by 30 people,” senior sports medicine major and Pepperdine Campus Recreation employee Evan Colburn said.
Seniors like Colburn won’t be around in the following years to enjoy the product of campus renovation. However, some students believe the legacy that it will leave will be beneficial to the campus that they leave behind overall.
“It feels like there’s so much blockage to endure for nothing,” senior psychology major Jaye Minor said. “But I do hope it’s worth it for Pepperdine’s student life in the future.”
