A conference that inspired conversations around faith, race and what reconciliation means for Christians, brought the largest-ever attendance from Point Loma Nazarene University.
Forty-five students and 26 faculty from PLNU attended the 29th annual Student Conference on Racial Reconciliation (SCORR), which took place on Feb 13 at Vanguard University. Other students and faculty from Christian colleges across Southern California, such as Westmont, Biola and Fresno Pacific University, also went.
The event opened with worship by the PLNU Gospel Choir Director, Ken Anderson, followed by a keynote address from Adam Edgerly, CEO of Culture Consultants.
Attendees participated in breakout sessions, which included faculty panels, presentations and discussion groups about different topics related to racial reconciliation. They also attended a “story slam” where individuals shared personal experiences and a debrief session at the end.
Dawn Jang, a second-year biology major at PLNU, said she felt both a desire and responsibility to attend. As a resident assistant on campus, she said she hoped to learn more about what it means to actively participate in racial reconciliation — the practice of repairing systems and relationships affected by racism.
Jang said that, as a first-time attendee, one of her favorite parts of the conference was the atmosphere created by the people who attended.
“Everyone was there for the shared purpose of learning more and engaging in their social education, which was really neat,” Jang said. “It was also such a diverse crowd, which was amazing. To break out of the Point Loma bubble and get to interact with that crowd was really unique and a great experience.”
She said she was surprised by how many options there were to choose from during breakout sessions. The first session she attended, “#CrazySmartAsians: Contesting the Model Minority Myth,” was led by PLNU Dean of Students Jason Cha. The session discussed the model minority myth about Asian Americans, which Jang said impacted her as an Asian American.
“It was really cool to be able to begin to understand the history of things that I have experienced my whole life,” Jang said.
While Jang said she loved the conference, she also said that some students, like Annika Schramm, a second-year environmental studies major, wished certain sessions had talked about topics in a more tangible way.
“I was really excited at the possibility of engaging in discourse around difficult topics and learning how to bring it back to campus,” Schramm said. “I did learn some good tangible skills, … but in some of the breakout sessions I attended, it felt like we spent the whole time defining and naming how people experience racism rather than talking about how to combat it.”
Yet Schramm said she still encountered powerful stories and information that led her to examine her own beliefs on race and think outside of her own perspective.
Dana Hojsack, director of Community Ministries, Walter Augustine, vice president for intercultural engagement, retention and community success initiatives, Richard Eberheart, director of multicultural and international student services and Cha were the team that made this possible.
This marked Hojsack’s third year being a part of PLNU’s SCORR committee. She managed registration, kept track of students and acted as a transportation liaison. She said that she loves getting to interact with the attendees and values the space for conversation and the opportunity to support students.
“I want to keep learning, growing and being challenged myself,” Hojsack said. “But I really want to be a part of helping students have that experience.”
While members of the ASB board were required to attend, all other students chose to go — including Schramm and Jang, who said they are already looking forward to SCORR 2027.
Olivia Roberts 
Ava Bailey-Klugh