Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

How I Came to Be at Southern

I came to Southern because someone pointed.

It was the middle of my junior year of high school. While all of my friends were proudly broadcasting the nature of their future professions, I felt like a child struggling to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up. Daily frustrated by my lack of goals, the news that our school would be hosting a college fair didn’t do much to brighten my day. Surrounded by the excited chatter of my classmates, I entered the chapel where the fair was being held, expecting to leave just as confused as I had entered.

I had recently been playing around with the idea of being a journalist, so I decided to use that as my crutch. I figured that whenever a college representative asked me what my career plans were, I could smile and say something besides “I don’t know.” The strategy kept me moving for a while, but didn’t fully pay off until I came to the booth representing Atlantic Union College.

I braced myself to be lectured on all the reasons why I should attend this specific school, but was surprised when the representative said that AUC wasn’t the school for me. Instead, he told me that I should be focused on the school that best suited my career goals. Simply out of curiosity, I informed him of the future goals I had set for the day, and asked him which school I should be looking at. He told me that Southern had a great journalism program, and pointed in the direction of their booth. His point – a minuscule act that required little to no effort – had more of an impact on my future than he could have ever imagined.

It didn’t take much for me to fall in love with Southern. The campus was beautiful, the people looked friendly, and God was clearly in the midst. Convinced that Southern was for me, I left the fair excitedly repeating my newfound goals to myself. I found out soon enough, however, that as much as I loved this school, there was someone who didn’t – my mother. She had decided, without telling me, that I was going to stay in New York for my college years, and inevitably, for the rest of my life.

I tried to change her mind, but there was no reasoning with her – her decision was final. There was nothing I could do. I knew I would get scholarships from my school, but there was no way I could pay for four years of tuition on my own, and to apply for such a large loan felt like selling my soul to the devil. I decided that I would leave everything in God’s hands. I asked Him to change my mother’s mind if Southern was the school He wanted me to attend. 

Months passed. Mother dearest threw school after school at me. CUNY. Stony Brook. Brooklyn. She even found a program that would have allowed me to go to Harvard if I applied, but none of these schools – not even Harvard – captured my interest. Eventually, and reluctantly, I settled for Hunter College. I tried to be positive about it, but the realization that I would be miserable keep creeping into my mind. No longer motivated to get massive amounts of scholarships, my grades began to slip, and for the first time ever, school, which I’ve always regarded as “fun”, seemed pointless.

The day that my mother informed me that her mind had changed wasn’t particularly special. There was no dramatic lead up or selective hints. On a normal day, she plainly stated that she would allow me to go to Southern. I felt something flutter inside of me and I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped. She had noticed my change in behavior and had put two and two together. As soon as the words had left her mouth and the shock wore off, I saw a whole world of possibilities open up before me – this truly was where God wanted me to be. A grin of gladness and relief plastered permanently on my face, I thanked Him with everything that was within me.

I came to Southern because someone pointed, and apparently, that someone was God.