Senior Niamh Rolston was the most “lighthearted and carefree” person Meelah Harkness — Niamh’s childhood friend — said she had ever met. Niamh was a member of Alpha Phi and studied Business at Pepperdine. She grew up in L.A., and attended Oaks Christian High School, according to Pepperdine. “I strive to be as optimistic and overjoyed and adventurous as she was,” Harkness … [Read more...] about ‘A Person to Walk With’: Remembering Niamh Rolston
optimism
An Optimist Who Always Had a Smile: Remembering Conner Budge
Conner Budge smiles for the camera while driving a boat. Conner died Sept. 24, and was a senior studying Creative Writing at Seaver College. Photo courtesy of Conner Budge Memorial's Instagram An optimist and a student with the biggest smile — this was Conner Budge. Conner died unexpectedly Sept. 24, and members of the Pepperdine community shared memories of him as they mourn … [Read more...] about An Optimist Who Always Had a Smile: Remembering Conner Budge
Finding Hope in Every Moment
Photo and art by Whitney Powell | Powell illustrated first-year Sports Medicine major Everett Baker’s hope to go abroad by drawing him in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Baker plans to study in Buenos Aires next year. Hope. A term people use lightly but feel deeply. Moments of hope can be significant, life-changing events or even just simple smiles from strangers. Pepperdine … [Read more...] about Finding Hope in Every Moment
An Optimist Flirts With Cynicism
Art by Peau PorotesanoIt's common for older high school students to experience cynicism during the "inevitable and difficult transition" that is high school to college, according to Nancy Faust Sizer's article "'Enhancing' the truth in order to compete destroys students' optimism, promotes cynicism," published in the Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter in … [Read more...] about An Optimist Flirts With Cynicism