What a whirlwind this semester has been so far! My last four months have been split half in the simplistic beauty of Thailand, and now I’m about to finish up my time here at Nyack College. I look forward to my future and the places it will lead me, but at the same time I’m trying not to take any part of my college experience for granted. I found myself in awe of how fast my time here has gone now looking back on it after three and a half years. I have learned to better appreciate the resources, beauty, friendships, and uniqueness of this place before its time to move on and leave some of these things behind.
This semester has reminded me in many ways of one of my favorite things about being at Nyack College. I love what I like to refer to as the intentional beauty here at Nyack. The school prides itself on being ‘Intentionally Diverse’, meaning that the school is full of students of many different backgrounds, ethnicities, and varies upbringings. With such a large mix of people there is such a unique culture created on this campus. I have been able to interact and befriend a huge variety of people who bring beauty to my life and encourage me in my beliefs. College is a time of developing into the person who you are meant to be and I appreciate so much those who have shared this journey to adulthood with me.
This semester has shaped so much in how I view the world. One class in particular has challenged how I see many issues that we, as Christians face in this post millennial age. Many of my fellow classmates see the world so differently than me as they view it through their own lenses of life experiences. The class included all the controversial topics you can think of that Evangelical Christian Churches are discussing today. I have realized how small minded I have been, and I feel like I really have learned to think for myself this semester. I have had a great foundation of Christian beliefs laid for me and now I get to experience other viewpoints as well. I appreciate how the students and teachers have challenges and helped shape me in my thinking . These people along with many close friends here have helped me mature into the educated thinker I am today. This isn’t because we all agreed on everything, but because we had a forum of open discussion in which we can appreciate others. I have learned the skill of being able to hear and appreciate others as we work towards a fuller understanding of Christ.
