As a senior in high school, I enrolled in Pepperdine because I believed with everything in me that it is where God had called me.
There is a whole story behind what I felt was “God’s call” — a series of conversations, prayers and signs — and if you want to know it, feel free to ask me. But, for the sake of word count and my journalistic need to be concise, I will keep it short and sweet.
It has been four years since I entered college, and with every friend I’ve made, moment I’ve experienced and growing pain I’ve had to endure, I am certain Pepperdine is the place I was destined to be.
One thing that has affirmed this truth is Pepperdine is the place where I fell in love with storytelling. I have been a part of Pepperdine Graphic Media since my first year of college, and I now know more than ever that this is what I’m meant to be doing for the rest of my life.
What initially drew me into journalism was the creative outlet it provided to tell and write stories. However, very quickly, my love for storytelling was met with my fear of meeting new people.
Having to interview at least three different sources per article was anxiety-inducing for a severe introvert such as myself. There were some days when I would hope with everything in me that a source would reschedule or cancel our interview so I wouldn’t have to face my fear.
Not long into my journalism career, I realized I could not be a storyteller if I never spoke to anyone. So, I put on my big girl pants and faced my fear of meeting strangers and having intentional conversations with them.
With every interview I conducted, my fear slowly went away. With every conversation, I realized more and more how special it was that my major allowed me to meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise met and connect with them on a deeper level.
This made me a better journalist and, more importantly, a better person, and I am so grateful for it.
My favorite part of being a journalist is what used to haunt me. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to sit down with people from all walks of life and speak with them about the things that give them life. There is nothing more beautiful than people sharing the depths of their being so openly and I am honored to hold them in that space.
I have conducted over a hundred interviews in my collegiate journalism career, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we are all more alike than we think. So many things unite us in our humanity — love, loss, faith, art, grief, healing and much more.
An ancient Chinese legend says everyone we meet is written in our destiny, and we are all connected and bound to one another by an invisible red string. I believe this wholeheartedly. I believe we were all placed on this campus on a hill for a purpose, and it is here where thousands of us have found our place in this world.
For this reason, I chose to highlight the very things that I believe bring us together most intimately and honestly in this special edition.
My hope is for you to feel a sense of community and a profound appreciation for our shared humanity after reading these stories of belonging, healing, love, spirituality and growth.
I hope these stories can affirm how beautiful this thing called life truly is — no matter how complicated and painful it can be.
I hope you enjoy flipping through its pages and can feel all the love poured into it.
With all my love,
Yamillah Hurtado
