I work as a Tour Guide at Pacific Lutheran University. On tours, lunches, and overnights I'm pretty consistently asked why I chose PLU.
Here's my story:
In high school, I knew that I did NOT want to attend PLU. My mom was a Lute, my dad got his masters from PLU, I had several friends who went there and were going there, and it was only an hour away from home. I did NOT want to go to PLU.
Senior year comes around, and I decided to apply to PLU to make my parents happy, and as a "back up school." PLU was the 2nd acceptance letter I received, so I started doing a little more research about the programs. I realized how awesome the study abroad program were and that they had some majors I was interested in.
I decided to apply for the Presidential scholarship since PLU isn't cheap. I received it and armed down the interview weekend on my calendar. Over the next few weeks, I received more college acceptance letters and began to worry about the difficult decision I had ahead of me. PLU still was not my number one choice.
Then came February. President Krise gave a speech about finding your vocation. When he explained how vocation is where "your deepest passion meets the world's greatest need," my dad turned to me and said, "Kara. THAT'S the word you've been looking for." I had known for a long time that I wanted to make a difference. But I didn't know how or when. I had so many questions about how to make my career into something I was passionate about, but also making a difference in the world with my life. Vocation. That was the word I was looking for, and PLU brought that concept into my life.
That night, I was staying with a friend from Shelton who was a Lute, and she was able to take me around campus and show me what it was like to be a Lute. I loved it. I loved how the small campus community made it so that you knew people pretty much everywhere you went.
In the morning, we had our scholarship interviews. Afterward, my parents met up with me for lunch where we ate with a girl I had met from Minnesota during the interview process, and twins from Arizona who happened to be sitting at a lunch table with her. We all immediately bonded over our love for musicals and theater. We walked to the bookstore together, and my parents hung back, letting us do our own thing.
When we got in the car to go home that afternoon, my dad said that it was weird for him to see me just head off with these people who I just met, on a college campus, and not even give a second thought to my parents (sorry mom and dad). It made me realize how comfortable I was at PLU and in the community. It made me realize that PLU was the first college I had visited that made me feel like I was "home."
Needless to say, I chose PLU. I chose PLU for its community, passion, and opportunities. I chose PLU because it provided me with an opportunity to discover my vocation. I chose PLU because it gave me one of my best friends. I chose PLU because I knew that it was the place I wanted to call home for the next four years.