All right, how would you describe the person you were when you first came to York? And what were your initial thoughts about? New York University, the campus, and all the things? 

My initial thoughts when I came to York were that the people here are amazing. Even on my campus visit, everyone was so welcoming and they went out of their way to love me and they made it feel like home. York University definitely lives out a lifestyle of their mission. They live out a Christ-centered education mindset here on campus to help each and every one of us grow and glorify God. York has been the perfect place for me to continue growing myself in those ways. 

 

How have you grown and or changed during your time here at YU? Who will be the person who walks across the stage when you graduate? 

I would definitely say that my faith has grown the most. I’ve grown in how I hold myself and just the person that I am, how I deal with things in life. The people that I’ve surrounded myself with have changed over the years but I’ve ended up with a pretty amazing group of people. Friends who are deeply invested in the community here at York University. They’re so awesome and I’m so thankful for them. It’s been an amazing four years and I’m excited for the future, it just won’t be the same as my time here at York. It goes by really fast and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’ll definitely be bittersweet when that time comes. 

 

What were you involved in during your time here at YU? 

It’d be easier to say what I wasn’t involved in. I started at York in men’s wrestling. Eventually, I joined the track and field team and I ended up competing in cross country my senior year. I’ve been a part of University Singers all four years. I tried out Celebration Singers my freshman year. I was a part of Chi Rho campus ministries. I joined the Sig Tau social club, a lot of my friends were in that club. I tried to be as involved as I could with the STEM Society in between all of my other commitments. I joined Residence Life as an RA my sophomore year, along with SGA (Student Government Association). I was a campus ministries work study during my sophomore year and have been a work study for athletic training my junior and senior year. I also go to as many of the Bible studies as possible, which is a great resource that we have through campus. 

 

Where is your favorite spot to be on campus and why? 

My freshman year, it was the prayer chapel. I could go in there whenever I wanted to. I could sit down, I could pray, take a nap… I could do whatever I wanted there. It was a safe place for me. It was open 24/7. My sophomore year would probably be the Spot (McGehee Hall). That’s where our campus minister’s office was and I definitely spent a lot of time there talking and hanging out. Then, BPAC (Bartholomew Performing Arts Center) became my next favorite place because I could go in there to decompress and have some time alone. This year, it would probably be either the swings or the library. I spend a lot of time in the library studying and hanging out with my friends. There are a lot of good spots on campus.

 

What was the best class that you took here on campus? My favorite class would probably be my English Comp class, my freshman year. That’s mainly because Jaden Beske, Reagan Branum, Garrett Johnson and Sam Cook were all in it. We had those little sticky hands and we had Deb Cleveland use it and it ended up smacking Jaden on the back of the head. It was awesome! My most helpful class would be my kinesiology class. As a biology major, it’s obviously helped me a lot. Along with that, I would also say that my athletic training class has helped me a lot, too. I’ve really enjoyed that class because that’s what I want to do in the future. 

 

What are your biggest takeaways that you've gotten from York? 

The people, for sure. People would be the top, second would be the memories, and the third would be my faith, it has definitely grown and flourished. York is a great place to learn how to glorify God in all that you do. I’ve also received a great York family. I’ve grown really close to the Best family. They’ve taken me under their wing, fed me, and always let me know that I’m loved and that they care for me. I’ll get busy with school and sports sometimes and I’ll end up with a text from Garrett asking me where I’ve been, telling me that they miss me. It’s nice to know that I’ve been blessed to be a part of their family. 

 

Well, through your work, what have you discovered has been your purpose and mission? And how did you realize that that's what those were to you? 

From day one, everything that I do is for God, for his purpose and glory. But even while doing that, it’s also to bring people along with me. I’ve always had a purpose and mission to glorify God, so that hasn’t really changed throughout the years. It’s just amplified on a higher level because there are more people to reach and I’m surrounding myself with more people, which gives me more opportunities to reach new people. It’s cool being on campus and getting the chance to touch and connect with more people. When I first started here, my main mission started with wrestling but now it’s grown from wrestling to the entire campus. I’m thankful that I’m able to glorify God in whatever way that I can, wherever I’m called. 

 

What are your plans after you graduate? 

More school! Two weeks after I graduate in the spring, I’m going to get married! After that, if I get into the school that I’ve been looking at for athletic training, I’ll go to school for two years. If not, I’ll work for a year and apply to schools. Then I’ll either go into PT or athletic training school. It just depends on wherever God takes me.