Editor’s Note: The writer of the story interviewed Jackie Ferrari, who conducted the interviews with the six staff members.
Before graduating, senior Jackie Ferrari wanted to reach out to seasoned members of the community she’s in regular contact with for wisdom to share with students. She said she did so because she believes wisdom is what all young people need as they continue through their lives.
“We could use wisdom,” Ferrari said. “A lot of us are figuring out life and going out into the world.”
Proverbs 4:7 which says, “Get wisdom though it costs all you have,” inspired Ferrari to reach out. She said this verse stands out to her because it shows how valuable wisdom is to create a better society.
“A lot of the problems we have in society are because we don’t value instruction and the way God does things,” Ferrari said. “When you’re not able to listen to council and get advice, things fall apart.”
The themes Ferrari noticed across the advice the members gave were to relax, focus on relationships, find a church community, not take life too seriously and work hard. She said these are aspects she wants to continue to take with her after graduation.
“A lot [of what they said] are stuff I’m trying to build now so once I graduate and have a job, it’ll be more stable,” Ferrari said. “I think it’s gonna look different for everyone, so I’m still trying to figure out how that looks for me.”
Advice From Seasoned Faculty
Stacy Rouse, University Church of Christ member, said how important it is for students to learn as much as they can during their time in college. She said this will help them figure out how to best make contributions in the world.
“Relax the utility of your major and instead, soak in the love of what you’re learning and doing,” Rouse said. “Then you can apply your knowledge and skills into any employment situation because those things are transferable.”
Hung Le, senior vice chancellor for Alumni Affairs, first talked about using gifts from God to make life more abundant for others.
“Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came so that we may have life and have it abundantly,” Le said. “We ought to live out His mission.”
Le said he encourages students to live a life of gratitude. He references the apostle Paul’s calling to give thanks in every situation.
“Start with the good times — when things are going well — so that when things are more difficult, you will have the skills and mental muscle memory to give thanks when it is harder to do so,” Le said.
Le said to live a life of integrity, kindness, selflessness, service, patience, grace and discernment.
“Know what feeds you and what drains you,” Le said. “If you are engaged in things that are draining, intentionally find time to engage in things that feed you.”
Preaching Minister Eric Wilson expanded further on the idea of living with grace. He said to always take what you do seriously but not take yourself too seriously.
“You don’t have to be perfect right out of the gate,” Wilson said. “At the point you show yourself grace, you actually tap into a God-given bandwidth to possess a greater degree of patience and function from a place of real capacity.”
Wilson said he wants young people to know their true self is not the total of their failures but connected to Christ’s Will for the world.
“The stories you tell yourself determine how you see the world, others and most importantly, yourself,” Wilson said. “Trust the story that you are beloved by God and have the ability to live with extraordinary purpose.”
Spiritual Life Vice President Tim Spivey said people should put God first and learn how to lead themselves, faithfully love their family and invest in friendship with those they admire.
“If you want to experience how abundant life can really be, keep Jesus at the center,” Spivey said.
Human Resources professional Corleen Parmelee said she values the importance of building relationships with those who bring out the best aspects of your character and vice versa.
“Do you find yourself often in tears, on the defensive or doing things which you are not proud?” Parmelee asked. “They’re not the right relationship for you.”
University Chaplain Sara Barton said she encourages students to be open to changes, clear old paths when they get boring and never give up on experimenting with your life even after college.
“Shake the dust off your feet in places where peace is not returned to you,” Barton said. “And in all this, cultivate enough quietness to hear God’s whisper and the voices of the ones you love.”
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Contact Timothy Gay via email: timothy.gay@pepperdine.edu
