Photo courtesy of Caitlin Tetherow
Not only is summer a well-deserved break from school work for some, but it is also the perfect time for students to travel, work and gain new experiences. It’s the opportunity to embark on a new adventure, which many Waves did over the past few months.
Wyatt Young, sophomore
Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
“This past summer, I was lucky enough to get a chance to play in the Cape Cod Baseball League. I started out as a temporary player but was able to play my way into a full-time job. It was a great experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Lily Dyer, sophomore
Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
“I went to Mexico and built three houses for families in TJ [Tijuana] with my church. I coached beach volleyball for my job. I took three summer school classes online, and I worked out and went to personal training every day.”
Christina Stratton, junior
Photo courtesy of Christina Stratton
“I was the emcee for the Miss Missouri Pageant. It was the 50th anniversary of the competition, and over 6,000 people attended the four-day event. Historically, a TV personality or news anchor is the host, so it was an honor to announce the winner and serve as the host for the event.”
Raymond Rider, sophomore
Photo courtesy of Raymond Rider
“I spent the summer mostly working. I started my own business and was able to make some money for myself and also some to help my girlfriend who needed some extra income. Toward the end of the summer, I took a trip to Colorado, where I spent time exploring and enjoying the beautiful environment.”
Eli Sumpter, sophomore
Photo courtesy of Eli Sumpter
“I spent the summer meditating in Ohio and honing in on my gifts. I was involved in a musical with Canton’s Kingdom Center Arts Academy. I played the role of C.C. in a production of ‘Dream Girls.’ This experience was the perfect summer opportunity! ‘Dream Girls’ allowed me to work on vocal range expansion and character work.”
Alexa Borstad, sophomore
Photo courtesy of Alexa Borstad
“I interned at a music publishing company called Position Music in Burbank, California. The company is also in the process of becoming an independent record label and management company. I worked with the A & R (artist and repertoire) department. I got to work on various projects related to artist management including concert scheduling, T-shirt designs and photography and social media accounts. I pitched new music from our artists to Spotify for playlists.”
Kyle O’Neill, sophomore
Photo courtesy of Kyle O’Neill
“This summer I had the opportunity to work at Hume Lake Christian Camp as a recreation leader. Every day I would lead roughly 500 middle school students in games and activities as well as provide spiritual guidance and mentorship. At Hume, thousands of students are exposed to the good news of the Gospel, and I witnessed firsthand the lives changed, and I am extremely blessed to have played such an amazing role in this ministry. Best summer of my life!”
Erica Lewis, junior
Photo courtesy of Erica Lewis
“This summer, I was the Central Feature Production Intern for ‘Trolls 2’ at DreamWorks Animation! I shadowed each department in the pipeline, working with story and editorial, art, layout, animation, character FX, crowds, FX, matte painting and lighting. I got to meet and work with a variety of people on the show, from directors and producers to production staff, artists, animators and more. My supervisors and I essentially were working to make sure the tasks of all the artists, all the different meetings, everything in our system and every detail of the movie was organized, on schedule and perfected. I learned a ton about communication on a massive scale and fell in love with the whole process as well as the film itself. Go check it out on April 17, 2020!”
Caitlin Tetherow, senior
Photo courtesy of Caitlin Tetherow
“This summer I went abroad with 19 fellow Pepperdine students to The Mission at Natuvu Creek in Vanua Levu, Fiji! For a month, we helped serve the community by doing anything they needed an extra hand in. We taught in the local school, were dental hygienist assistants, farmed on the property, helped with coconut chopping, but most importantly lived and learned from the beautiful Fijian community. We also took an education course about cultural responsive service learning. Fiji was an incredible and life-changing experience, and I’m excited to enter my last year after learning and living with one of the most loving communities!”
Josh Leow, sophomore
Photo courtesy of Josh Leow
“Talk about personal growth. I am beyond blessed to attend a university like Pepperdine that recognizes the importance of taking into account multiple perspectives by seeing the world. This summer I had the opportunity to spend time in the Middle East with Pepperdine IP [International Programs]. Immersing in the culture of Jordan not only helped me see a different way of life, but helped me to develop an utmost respect for people who see things completely differently than I do. I feel that going forward, my time in Jordan has given me tools I can use throughout my life, not only in ministry, but also in everyday life. I am simply thankful and grateful for this experience.”
Larissa Seibt, senior
Photo courtesy of Larissa Seibt
“This summer I studied abroad with Pepperdine with the China/Japan Asia Tour Program. Studying abroad this summer was such an amazing and unique experience. From being a part of a new culture to learning a little bit of Mandarin, I feel like I have learned and experienced so much. Traveling to nearby cities such as Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangshuo and Beijing showed me the natural beauty and historical importance of each place I visited. I would not change this experience for the world, and I am ready to go back and explore Asia more!”
Cindy Kim, senior
Photo courtesy of Cindy Kim
“During my month in Fiji, I was blown away by the Fijian’s warm and genuine hospitality. From the moment we arrived at the Mission, they made each and every person feel seen, heard and known. I admired their passion for relational ministry, storytelling and active listening — qualities that I find are sometimes a bit difficult to see in the U.S. Whether it was helping teachers with lesson planning at the local school, learning how to shred coconuts, assisting the dentists/doctors with taking care of patients or even just playing volleyball with locals, we tried our best to put people first. When I look back at my experience this past summer, I went to Fiji hoping I would get to serve its people and the Mission we were staying at, but I feel like it was the exact opposite and I ended up being served by them.”
Charlotte Lang, junior
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Lang
“I had the incredible opportunity to study and intern in London, England this summer. I interned in the House of Commons for the United Kingdom’s Parliament and worked for two members of Parliament. Theresa May, the former prime minister, resigned at the end of my first week of the internship, so I got to experience the leadership race as well as regular parliamentary proceedings. One of the members for whom I interned was a candidate for the prime minister seat, and I assisted with the campaign. In addition to my work on the campaign, I assisted the office in the gathering, compiling and organizing of data. My favorite part of the internship was experiencing the United Kingdom’s legislative branch firsthand and being able to compare it to the American system.”
Mary Elizabeth Salley, junior
Photo courtesy of Mary Elizabeth Salley
“This summer, I interned at a local wedding magazine in my hometown as an editorial intern. I got to communicate with local bridal designers, write for their daily bridal blog and edit the summer issue that printed at the end of July. As an aspiring writer, Charleston Weddings was such a fun entrance into the world of magazine editing and publishing.”
Sofia Gadegaard Shah, senior
Photo courtesy of Sofia Gadegaard Shah
“This summer I represented Nepal at the 18th FINA World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, Korea. This was my fourth World Championships for Nepal and also my 12th international competition. I spent most of my summer training about five hours per day in Phuket, Thailand at a training facility to prepare. In Korea, I swam the 50-meter freestyle and the 50-meter butterfly, swimming decent times in both. It was a great experience to be back on the world stage and I’m determined now to work toward the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Another great aspect was having my brother on the team with me, having it be his first world championships and breaking two Nepali national records.”
___________________
rowan.toke@pepperdine.edu
gianni.cocchella@pepperdine.edu
