Arik Housley, father of late Pepperdine student Alaina Housley, speaks at the 2026 RISE Summit on Feb. 20. The RISE Summit is an annual event centered around finding resilience at different capacities. Photos by Alayna Yared
The Lighthouse was full of students, alumni, family and friends of Pepperdine for the 2026 RISE Summit on Feb. 20. Attendees received free hoodies, stickers, dinner, as well as a copy of “Always November: Lessons in Love, Loss and Resilience,” by Arik Housley, father of late Pepperdine student Alaina Housley.
This year’s RISE theme, “From Loss to Light,” focuses on how to find resilience in the face of loss and grief — something the Pepperdine community is no stranger to. It’s not about moving on, but rather finding ways to move forward.
The summit featured a speaker panel, with several members of the Pepperdine community sharing how they’ve each experienced and overcome loss in their lives.
“Some folks who have been at Pepperdine for a while will remember when we lost those four beautiful girls,” senior Peyton Potts said. “That would have been my sophomore year, and I think that there is still some grief that we are dealing with as a community that wasn’t fully processed when it happened. It’s hard.”
Keynote speaker Arik Housley lost his daughter, Alaina Housley, in a mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in 2018. Alaina was a first-year Pepperdine student and one of 12 victims killed.
Even after going through such an unimaginable loss, Arik Housley is a testament that loss can be a redirection, and he now uses his struggles as a lesson to teach others how to navigate loss. He said he does speaker events and wrote a memoir last year titled “Always November: Lessons in Love, Loss and Resilience.”
“He [Arik Housley] proves that resilience isn’t just about surviving,” said Connie Horton, vice chancellor and executive director of the RISE Institute. “It includes how you show up for others.”
One piece of advice Arik Housley offered for anyone who may be grieving or experiencing loss is to avoid the dark road of “Why?” That “Why?” isn’t going to do anything. Instead of being mad, Arik Housley said he chose to forgive.
Arik Housley was also inspired to make a change. He said he co-founded Alaina’s Voice, a non-profit foundation in honor of Alaina, and has helped provide mental health resources to those who are struggling.
“Hopelessness and helplessness are the two key drivers for violence and suicide,” Arik Housley said. “So we said, ‘Hey, let’s help this. The government is making so many grant cuts because of budget cuts to preventative measures for mental health, but what if we try a way to go out and do that?’ And that’s our way of trying to get back, because if that can help just certain people, that stops a suicide, that stops a shooter.”
In addition to helping people deal with their own grief, Arik Housley spoke about how people can show up and talk to others who may be going through it as well, a delicate and tough subject. He said to simply let those going through grief know they’re in your thoughts.
“Some of the things I’d suggest to not say is what you probably think they would want to hear,” Arik Housley said. “So that would be if you’re thinking if that should come out of your mouth, the answer is probably no.”
As a Christian going through such a tragedy, Arik Housley said he was mad at God but never lost faith. He had a difficult time accepting God had a plan to take his daughter’s life in a mass shooting, but that only encouraged him to live every day like it could be his last.
“We need the plan,” Arik Housley said. “We’re the ones that need to know when we’re going to go. But instead, I can look at you, and I go, ‘What if it doesn’t matter when you go?’ Treat every day like it’s your last day. Treat everybody with love and share that love and life as much as you can, because this is your opportunity to do so.”
Audience members listen to Arik Housley speak at the 2026 RISE Summit on Feb. 20. This year’s RISE Summit sold out, and there was a waitlist to get in.
Arik Housley was joined on a panel by junior JoJo Billings, alumna Lexington Russell (’25) and Hung Le, senior vice chancellor for Alumni Affairs, to share how they have each found ways to move forward after dealing with loss.
The first panelist was Le, who shared the experience of losing his sister.
After leaving Vietnam for the U.S. by himself to live with his abusive cousin, Le said he frequently wrote to his sister back home. Le constantly prayed to God to protect her until they could be reunited again, but instead, she died trying to escape Vietnam.
At first, Le said he was upset with God and confused why God would take away his sister. However, this tragedy only brought him closer to God.
“I remember feeling this incredible warmth,” Le said. “It was the first time that I prayed to Him without using real prayers. It was the first time I was able to talk with Him honestly and openly. And I wasn’t looking for an answer; I was so grateful that God was there.”
Russell shared how she lost her father to an overdose.
“What complicated my grief was hope,” Russell said. “I really thought that God was about to redeem my dad’s story on Earth. He was two weeks away from leaving for a year-long Christian recovery program close to Pepperdine. My parents had just gotten remarried after being separated since I was 5 years old. For the first time in a long time, I finally stopped bracing, and then he died.”
After his passing, Russell said she struggled for a while. She was able to physically function, but internally, it was chaos. For her, resilience didn’t come easily. Instead, it showed up in small ways slowly but surely.
“God did not take away my pain or keep my dad here,” Russell said. “But, He did bring a deeper inner healing that I knew was possible.”
In contrast, Billings’ story proves not all losses have to be death to be grieved. For some, it could be the loss of a dream.
After getting into a competition she had worked practically her entire life for, she stopped figure skating entirely. She focused on school, studied abroad and searched for the same rush she got from figure skating.
“For years, I’ve minimized my story and I told myself it didn’t qualify as a real loss,” Billings said. “But loss doesn’t have to be catastrophic to shape you. It can be like a childhood spent performing, an identity built too early, a nervous system not knowing how to rest or maybe a young girl who learns that love feels conditional.”
(From left to right) Arik Housley, alumna Lexington Russell (’25), junior JoJo Billings and Hung Le, vice chancellor for Alumni Affairs sit together for a panel discussion at the 2026 RISE Summit on Feb. 20. During the discussion, each panelist spoke about how grief is not linear and looks different for everyone.
All three panelists then joined Arik Housley for a group panel discussion. The discussion focused on topics such as “God moments,” signs from God that God and their loved ones are still with them, and how to show up for those who are grieving with empathy rather than sympathy.
The 2026 RISE Summit then closed off with a raffle, including prizes such as a weighted blanket, a Hatch alarm clock and a digital photo frame.
Arik Housley stayed behind for a book signing after the event concluded.
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Contact Nicolette Aramian via email: nicolette.aramian@pepperdine.edu