When graphic design student Laura Shull (25) transferred to PLNU at the start of her junior year, she didn’t know how different it would be from her previous educational experiences. PLNU was her first encounter with Christian education, and the distinction was immediate.
“It was such a culture shock when I came to Point Loma,” Laura says. “People would just be openly talking about their faith and be reading their Bibles and praying [around campus]. That was really weird for me, even though I grew up as a Christian.”
Laura never had close Christian friends at high school or community college. She says it was refreshing to enter into a community where she could immediately feel supported without initially knowing anyone.
“During Welcome Week, I met my two best friends who have been great Christian role models and have encouraged me to grow in my faith,” Laura says.
Resilient Faith
Faith was a crucial part of why Laura chose PLNU. She shares that amidst her health struggles with Ehler Danlos Syndrome and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, faith has been challenging to cultivate at times.
“I’ve dealt with feelings of confusion, anger, and shame about why God made me this way,” she says.
“One of the main reasons I chose PLNU was because of the Christian aspect; I was struggling, and I knew I wanted to grow closer to God.”
“One of the main reasons I chose PLNU was because of the Christian aspect; I was struggling, and I knew I wanted to grow closer to God.”
Laura explains she started a Bible study with her friends, reading through Job and the Gospels together. She was also able to join the spiritual mentoring program at PLNU and was partnered with an adjunct professor in the Clinical Counseling, M.A. program.
“She has been an amazing mentor, helping answer my faith questions and doing Bible studies.”
She joined several clubs on campus and made close connections with faculty in the Department of Art & Design. They encouraged her to become more engaged in the San Diego community, such as attending Creative Mornings at the San Diego Public Library and joining the local chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.
“From Welcome Week to clubs and throughout my years of classes, I’ve met so many amazing people. Whether we’re painting in the park, having Bible studies, going to school dances, hosting tea parties, or even playing Guitar Hero, I’ve made friendships that will last way beyond just Point Loma.”
The supportive community at PLNU has empowered Laura to have confidence in her faith that she’ll take with her as she goes into the world.
“So I’ve just learned to not shy away from who I am. If I want to read a Bible in public and people think I’m weird, why should that matter to me?”
A Creative Calling
In addition to her spiritual growth, Laura explains how her creative and professional interests have also grown at PLNU. “So many things lined up perfectly that it seems like this must be the path I should be on,” Laura says. “I feel like [I have] a calling for creativity.”
Despite always having an artistic side, she initially struggled with making art in the digital space. “I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a kid,” she says. “[But] in high school I took my first graphic design class… and I was really bad at it. I tried to drop the class, but my counselor wouldn’t let me.”
While the technological aspects of graphic design were once a sticking point for Laura, now she thinks they have empowered her to be a better artist. As a graphic designer, Laura creates a variety of visuals: from advertisements, to digital publications, to posters, to printed media, and more.
“I really became more of an artist with digital [tools],” she says. “With visual arts, if you make one mistake it’s ruined; but with graphic design, you can hit backspace and delete it. I think it’s fun how much more you can experiment and how technology integrates with the art.”
Art as Impact
Several design assignments at PLNU helped Laura develop a heart for helping others through art.
“I want my designs to be more than just pretty pictures to look at,” she says. “I want them to inspire change.”
One project Laura completed in her digital marketing class involved choosing a local organization and creating a new professional marketing plan for them. Laura and her small group chose UC Health Milk Bank, a nonprofit that supports NICUs and families by providing newborns with donated breast milk.
She and her team developed advertisements and website design for the milk bank that would be more appealing to new or expectant mothers. UC Health ended up choosing her team’s campaign among several other marketing plans from various organizations. Laura’s team was confident it would help raise awareness about UC Health and bring in more milk donations.
“That was really fun just to learn more about women’s health and all the things that go into keeping babies healthy,” she says.
Another eye-catching design Laura developed was her Creation Care Week poster. For this annual occasion, each senior graphic design major created an informative, compelling five-foot poster that stressed the importance of being environmentally conscious. The posters were installed outside of Nicholson Commons and other sites on campus.
Laura describes that the Creation Care Week activities on campus represent more than just the promotion of sustainability. “My teacher communicated the project as: ‘we’re Christians and it’s our responsibility to take care of what God has made,’” she says. “That campaign is what made me think … I would love to work at a company that is a non-profit, faith-based, or has a good mission — a company that I could feel proud to be a part of.”
The Power of One Gift
Scholarships and financial aid helped Laura get the academic engagement, social development, and spiritual support she needed to enter into her future with confidence. Laura was the recipient of the Stuart Christian Taylor-Low Memorial Scholarship, named for a treasured alumnus (Art & Design and Political Science B.A. (01), Organizational Leadership M.A. (21)) who tragically passed away in 2022 at the age of 43.
Laura was awarded the scholarship for her passion for creativity and hard work toward reaching her dreams and goals. She was amazed to find support beyond the funds to help her finish her degree. “I was fortunate enough to meet Christian’s family,” Laura says. “One of the last weeks of school, the family came into town. I got to have dinner with them and learn more about him.”
“It was really fun to learn more about his story. They were saying that I remind them a lot of him, and I got to learn a lot about him through their storytelling. That was a really neat experience.”
“It was really fun to learn more about his story. They were saying that I remind them a lot of him, and I got to learn a lot about him through their storytelling. That was a really neat experience.”
The Taylor-Low Memorial Scholarship was an example of how a single gift can not only help students like Laura receive quality academics and career preparedness, but also make a profound personal and spiritual impact that will ripple through the rising generation.
“[Christian’s] mom emailed me the week of graduation to congratulate me,” Laura says.
“I think that just adds to my support system — now there’s three more people who are rooting for me and encouraging me. And now I’m just doing my best to make that family proud because they believed in me.”
