Noah Harrel is a graduating senior at PLNU and the editor-in-chief of The Point.
To the graduates of 2022, our families and the Point Loma Nazarene University community,
After my first semester at PLNU, I realized I really hated science. This was problematic since I chose this school specifically for our science program, had been given the Science Honors Scholarship as an environmental science major and had no back up plan. I came to PLNU for science and science alone.
But after just one semester I also realized, as many do, there’s so much more here than just a good education. PLNU is a place where the students, professors, and staff care about each other in such a deep way. I might have come for science, but once I opened my eyes to everything else around me, I realized why I had to stay.
I stayed for the friends who poured love, support and patience into my life when I needed it most. I stayed for the professors who helped me change majors – twice – and took the time to invest in me when they saw my potential as a journalist. I stayed because a still, small, voice said I was exactly where I needed to be and that He had a plan for me.
I never felt more sure of what I was supposed to do than when sitting in my Introduction to Journalism class in Spring 2020. The current editor-in-chief of The Point was talking about her job and writing and I thought “Dang, that’s what I want to do,” immediately that still, small, voice responded more clearly than I’d ever heard before or since “Then go for it.”
Life might feel hectic right now. Take pictures, pass finals, shake Bobby B’s hand, ok now go find a job! You might feel like you had everything all set up, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Or you might feel like you have nothing figured out and no idea where to go. That’s ok. You have people around you here who care about you in a way I’ve never seen anywhere else. Lean on them for support. Take some time to listen. It might not take you where you expect, but it will be better than you could ever imagine.
Blessings,
Noah
