Growing up, I heard about Point Loma Nazarene University endlessly. Whether it was about Hendricks Hall, where my dad lived for three years, or the burritos at Adalberto’s, or diabolical stories that could only exist in the pre-cell-phone era.
I am a third-generation PLNU student. My grandparents attended the school when it was called Pasadena College. Then my parents attended the school, as did my aunt, uncle, cousins and great uncles and aunts. I am far from the first Michaelson to wear the green and gold.
People often ask me if I was pressured to come to PLNU because it’s commonplace in my family. The answer is no; my parents emphasized that the college I attend is my decision. But since I spent the first five years of my life in San Diego and we would visit from time to time, PLNU was always on my radar.
When the time came for me to start visiting schools, PLNU was already near the top of the list. We made the flight to San Diego in October of my senior year of high school, and it didn’t take long for me to realize this was the place I wanted to be.
What I wasn’t 100% certain of was what I wanted to study. After a long conversation with Dean Nelson, the journalism department head, in his office, seated in the barber chair he has in there, I was swayed. Journalism is what I’d study.
Sports are one of the greatest joys in my life, and I always enjoyed writing in high school. It didn’t take much convincing.
My dad and his two siblings all graduated from PLNU with journalism degrees.
In a few short weeks, I’ll be the fourth Michaelson to graduate from PLNU with a degree in journalism. I’ve served as the sports editor of The Point for the past two years and have been writing since October of my first year, for the same section my dad did during his time here.
It’s been a ton of fun. Covering PLNU in possibly the most dominant era of the athletics program has been a privilege. Writing pieces about other professional and college teams, whether it be predictions or analyses, is some of my favorite work I’ve done.
But it has been an interesting experience. At times, I wondered if I was convincing myself that I wanted to study journalism because it’s what the Michaelsons do. While it’s true that sports and writing are two passions of mine, it’s been hard not to let those thoughts flood my mind because of the track record of my family.
I’ve caught myself a few times in the comparison game, wondering if I’m living up to the Michaelson name, writing as well as my dad, aunt or uncle did. Even this year, I’ve found myself comparing, because just as all of them did at some point, I’ve made the decision that sports journalism isn’t what I want to pursue full time.
But as a whole, the experience has been fruitful. The comparison only flares up in small moments. Are there times when I wonder if I’m at this school, studying journalism, because I truly want to? Yes. But for as many of those moments I’ve had, I’ve had even more moments of fulfillment and gratification that I get to watch and write about sports and consider it “work.”
My dad and I are bonded by sports and talk about them nearly every time I call. To get to say that we wrote for the same school newspaper, about one of the parts of life we love most, is cool.
Writing has continued to be a huge part of my dad’s life. He’s taught it at the high school and college level for many years, and continues to write in his free time. I hope the same can be said for me.
These four years have been among the best of my life, and telling sports stories for The Point is one of the reasons why.
Sydney Brammer 
Belen Palomino Young