By: Grace Chaves
In just a couple of weeks, students will leave Point Loma Nazarene University behind. Some will depart for summer break, others will graduate and move on to the next chapter of their lives. A new season is ahead as PLNU searches for a new school president and gets ready to welcome the 2024-2025 Associated Student Body (ASB) Board of Directors (BoD).
The incoming BoD marks the end of an era. Soon, PLNU’s current 2023-2024 ASB BoD will leave office to make room for these new members. Some will be graduating while others continue in their academic journey at Loma.
As the academic year closes, PLNU’s 2023-2024 ASB BoD has been reflecting on their time with the board and how it impacted their journey at Loma.
“The opportunity that I got to serve the ASB made my experience at Loma worth it,” said Student Body President and fourth-year applied health science major Nathan Shoup. “I believe it costs a lot of money to attend a university, especially PLNU, but the opportunity to be developed, mentored, challenged and uplifted through student leadership has increased the value of my education here at PLNU tenfold.”
For Director of Communications and third-year graphic design major Anna Ivanov, serving with ASB has given her a deeper appreciation for student leaders.
“It’s been a privilege to meet and collaborate with so many inspiring leaders throughout the year,” said Ivanov.
With the BoD’s active involvement in campus activities, they quickly became well-known amoung PLNU students. From Shoup ringing the bell to kick off the fall semester to third-year applied health science major and Director of School Spirit Thomas Kinzler leading the Hooligans, the board members were active planners and participants in campus life throughout this academic year.
But in the fall, a new board will take over for the 2024-2025 school year, becoming the new leaders responsible for planning events, leading school spirit, creating chapel themes, fiscal planning for clubs and various other responsibilities that affect the PLNU community. This time, third-year business management and entrepreneurship major and Director of Student Relations Colby Douglas will be ASB’s student body president.
“I hope to be the type of president that people feel comfortable talking to anywhere and any time, even if they don’t know me,” said Douglas. “I want to help foster a community that loves one another so deeply that we feel like we can have conversations about anything and not have to agree on everything. If we are able to enter conversations with curiosity and an open mind, our community will grow more and more unified one interaction at a time.”
Although the board members agreed that being part of ASB was an incredible experience, there were also difficulties and challenges. Ivanov said balancing life, school and work was a challenge, but her faith gave her peace.
Shoup encouraged the next BoD to take moments to breathe and take intentional time to be still.
“Don’t get so caught up in what you’re doing that you forget the reason why you’re doing it,” said Shoup. “Be bold, and most importantly, read your Bibles and pray without ceasing. You get nothing out of this experience unless you are listening to your instructor in Heaven.”
Kinzler echoed this and said that it’s important to remember why you wanted to serve in the first place.
“It’s easy to get caught up with how busy life becomes with ASB work and lose sight of your motivation for serving your fellow students,” said Kinzler. “Let all you do come from a spirit of love and care for your peers, allow yourself to listen and learn, and enjoy what you’re doing.”
According to third-year communication studies major and Director of Spiritual Life Tess Schrupp, learning is a crucial part of being a good leader.
“Learn from those you lead and always be a leader who can be led, because you are never ever done learning and growing,” said Schrupp. “A position does not ever put someone above learning and above listening to those who have walked before them.”
Because the BoD has become such an iconic face of PLNU, some might think they hope to leave a legacy. But for Kinzler, he hopes that it’s not his name that’s remembered, but that the school spirit fostered during his time continues to thrive.
“My dream is that school spirit would continue to evolve and that this year would simply be remembered as one that was built on great things of the past and sets the stage for even greater things to come,” Kinzler said.
Shoup said it’s not a legacy he hopes to leave, but a heritage.
“I hope that people see Jesus in one another, learn to affirm each other in our gifts, while at the same time, spurring one another toward growth and maturity,” said Shoup. “I hope the heritage of God-fearing students is the outcome of my time spent on the ASB BoD. Lord, help me embody this hope in my own life.”
