As a member of the promo team here at GCU, part of my job requires me to give tours to high school seniors who are exploring their college options. On almost every tour, I get asked, "Why did you pick this school?" My response is always the same. I talk about how I picked the school in sixth grade because the school color was purple, but I remained committed to this university throughout high school because of the smaller size and the growing community.
As I get to know more people on campus, all of their answers are different. Some say that they came here because they got injured, and the school they committed to play a sport at was too expensive to go without a scholarship. Others say that they loved the no out-of-state tuition, and wanted to go to a private Christian school. Regardless of the answer, it showed just how diverse this school actually is, and it all comes back to three simple words.
Find your purpose. You hear it on almost every commercial, and see it on every billboard. Even if you have absolutely no interest in this school, it is something that has been ingrained in your brain at this point in time. Grand Canyon University's motto is short, to the point, and yet pretty hard to actually do.
How exactly do you "find your purpose?" It's not like you can just walk to your local Target and pick up a pack of purpose for $10.99 plus tax. You also certainly can't find it by swiping right for purpose's profile on Tinder. And you absolutely will not find your purpose at that party near ASU that's blasting some sick house music until it gets busted by the cops.
With that being said, where do you look then? Dictionary.com defines purpose as, "the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc." In regards to ourselves, purpose is why we are here on this planet at this exact time. It is the reason why you are the way you are. When it comes to college, purpose directly relates to why you choose the specific place that you do, and why you are supposed to be there.
For some of the students here, they believed that their purpose was elsewhere until they got to this campus and experienced what their lives could look like here. Others have found their purpose in their specific majors, volunteer work, jobs, or families.
One of the goals in life is to find what you makes you happy, surround yourself with people who will lift you higher, and be a light to others around you. This is a fulfilling sense of purpose that anyone can relate to. When it comes to college, pick somewhere that makes you feel like you're at home the minute you walk onto campus. As far as guys go, pick the guy that still makes you smile uncontrollably and shows that he cares even after he already has you. Lastly, when searching for friends, choose the ones that are always honest and you can have fun with no matter what you are doing. Your purpose is out there, you just have to go find it.
