Biola Bells

When I was a sophomore in high school, I remember one of my older cousins telling me about Biola University. We dreamed about how cool it would be to live in a dorm and to study the bible very deeply. A dream seemed like all that it would ever be, but I held on to it. Before that I had never really thought about college, I didn’t really know much about it either: Like how to apply, how much it was, how you pay for it, and everything in between.

I later learned more about college after talking with counselors, looking online, and visiting schools. Even still, a university still felt like it was just a dream for me. I do not come from a wealthy family, and my parents didn’t finish high school. So, even though they were supportive of the fact that I wanted to go to college, none of us knew what we were doing.

During my senior year of high school, me and my parents came to Biola, went on a tour, and visited the financial aid office. It was a very stressful and scary conversation to talk about all of the costs of attending. However, after we talked through the options and accepted the realities that come with college, along with learning how to trust God in them, we felt much better about it. God made a way then and He is still taking care of us now.

People always ask me, “why did you choose Biola over APU? You live right down the street!” First off all, like many people our age, I wanted to know what it was like to be on my own. That has been great! Second, there was something about Biola’s staff and community that felt so welcoming and caring. Biola has become a second home for me, maybe even more home than a school inside my hometown would have been. I do not regret my decision in choosing Biola one bit. I know that it was the Lord that brought me here. I have grown and learned so much about myself and about the world. Sure there were some extremely difficult times, but God blessed me with just the right community to sustain me and remind me that I am loved and supported.