For Elijah (26), college wasn’t just about the degree; it was also about forming character, faith, and lifelong friendships.
Elijah, a media communication major, has a minor in visual arts photography that comes in handy on PLNU’s picturesque campus. When searching for colleges to attend, Elijah wanted a Christian school not too far away from home, and Point Loma fit the bill.
“I wanted a Christian college because I’ve grown up in the Christian faith,” Elijah said. “I wanted a community in the school that would be following those values. I hadn’t really heard about Point Loma Nazarene University before applying. But once I did apply, I would mention it to family, friends, or at my church, and there’d always be some kind of tie to Point Loma, which is really interesting. It was fun to hear about those people’s experiences at this school.”
Despite not knowing much about Point Loma beforehand, Elijah’s expectations for the campus, and college in general, were exceeded because of the community he found.
“I didn’t have bad expectations for Point Loma,” he clarified, “I think it was just my expectations for college overall. Growing up, a lot of the media that I was fed about college is that it’s this big thing that you just go off to, and you’re kind of just doing your classes and maybe join a club or two. But here at Point Loma, it’s been very special: the class size is small, it’s right along the beach, and it’s a part of the Nazarene church.”
Elijah found friends he had things in common with, as well as friends who were different from him. It was a marked change from high school.
“In high school, and you’re with the same group of people that live in the same area,” he explained, “and you all have this similar shared life experience, even if the upbringing is different — it’s all fairly similar.
“But coming here to Point Loma, it’s a place where people from all over the world have come to. They’ve lived their whole lives outside of this Point Loma system until now. It was really special to see so many people from those different areas of the world and of life, to come together to this place.”
“But coming here to Point Loma, it’s a place where people from all over the world have come to. They’ve lived their whole lives outside of this Point Loma system until now. It was really special to see so many people from those different areas of the world and of life, to come together to this place.”
Coming together often involved clubs, groups, and intramural sports, including volleyball.
“That was actually really pivotal, because a lot of the friends that I made were from that team,” Elijah said. “I’m still close friends with them now. Things like that, including Young Life, helped show me there are a lot of people on this campus. You don’t necessarily even have to be friends with all of them, but there’s different niches that you can go to find people that care about the same things that you do.”
But, at the same time, Elijah has found that certain differences add to a friendship, and help create more growth and change over time. Theological or political differences aren’t always the most important thing.
“We still believe what we believe,” he said. “We have discussions about different things, but it doesn’t necessarily sway one of our opinions. The biggest thing is seeing how we live out our daily lives. At Point Loma we’re able to see people every day and, especially since it’s a small campus, you’re bound to see somebody again and again at places like the Caf or in a club. Because of the frequency at which we’re seeing each other, we’re able to witness, ‘you’re living it out this way. I’m living out this way.’”
This has led to greater accountability among his friend group, where pointing out the difference between what’s said and what’s lived has become normal.
“If there’s something that they’re noticing about me or about another friend, it’d be pointed out,” Elijah said. “It’s like, ‘you say this but you’re doing this,’ or ‘you say this but you’re not doing this. How does that really work?’ I think figuring out that has been really impactful for my faith.”
That, in combination with being steeped in a Christian campus where worship nights and Bible studies are commonplace, has greatly influenced Elijah’s time in college, and beyond.
“After graduation, I’m looking to do freelance video work,” he said. “It’s a very uncertain field, so I’ve really been meditating a lot on what really comes next — part of that involves what God has in store, and having a sense of peace that whatever I do, as long as it’s glorifying Him, will come and it will happen.”
“After graduation, I’m looking to do freelance video work, It’s a very uncertain field, so I’ve really been meditating a lot on what really comes next — part of that involves what God has in store, and having a sense of peace that whatever I do, as long as it’s glorifying Him, will come and it will happen.”
It’s difficult to let go of control, particularly when it comes to making plans for the future.
“It’s not possible for me to control exactly what I’m going to be getting involved with in the future for careers or relationships,” Elijah said. “I’m wondering what it would be like to live outside of college itself. Here I have a lot of structures like class, and then time to do my other responsibilities. But going into post grad, there’s not really a set curriculum or rubric for anything, and so you’re kind of just going out and working and doing whatever. Everyone else is also figuring it out.”
