Pepperdine University

School Year: 2016-17

Major:

Accepted: Yes

Attending: No

Write a letter to your future roommate at Pepperdine. Tell them what characteristics would make you a good roommate and what you are looking forward to most in college. (50-300 words)

Dear Roommate,

The beginning of the rest of our lives is just around the corner and that first step will be taken with you at my side. College is such a big deal at my house, you would think I was getting married with all the fuss everyone in my family is making, which I believe is warranted because I’m the first one to graduate from high school, much less attend college.

Let me introduce myself - I'm an introvert who prefers to spend most of my time inside, exploring the world through my books and such, rather than going out. I’m organized and tidy the majority of the time, but when projects and assignments begin piling up and taking priority, cleanliness is the furthest thing from my mind. I am also considered the ‘mother’ of my group of friends, meaning I will be there for you no matter what and will have a stash of products only a mother will have in case of emergencies.

In this chapter of my life, I look forward to finding myself and discovering my purpose in life. I wish to find a group of friends that I will stick with for many years to come and who I can count on for any situation. I hope to obtain the best education possible at Pepperdine, filled with insightful moments and situations that will push my limits and cause me to think outside the box. During my stay, I hope to expand the knowledge of my faith and to become more devoted to God as well as to the world around me in order to better my experience on this planet.

I wish you the best year of your life at Pepperdine, and I hope we get along great!

Best,

Josephine A. Ochoa

As a Christian university, Pepperdine expresses its Christian principles through all aspects of academic life and administrative policy. The university affirms that truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, should be pursued relentlessly in every discipline. Students, faculty, and staff members of all faith traditions are welcome to become part of the Pepperdine University community. Please tell us a little bit about how faith has influenced your life. (50-300 words)

My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer the winter of my fifteenth year. Though that information should have caused a depression, she remained as optimistic and joyful as ever. A month after her diagnosis she called me over to her bedside at the hospital where she was spending the majority of her time. With great pain, she reached up around her neck and unclipped a golden rosary that had been passed down through her family. Placing it in my hand with a vibrant smile, she wished that it will help me cement my faith.

The trust that she had in me to further the faith that I’d been born into was the push that I needed to become more active in my church. Though I attended mass every Sunday, it was simply due to habit and expectations. However, after receiving the rosary, I became an active member of my community by joining the youth group. With Youth Group I was able help organize the via crucis play during Holy week as the co-director. This Christmas, I helped arrange a canned food drive for members of my parish that are unable to afford basic necessities and a blanket drive for the homeless in my neighborhood, where we recovered over two hundred blankets to keep them warm in these winter months.

During my stay at Pepperdine, I’ll continue the journey of exploring my faith by continuing to attend volunteer opportunities such as Project Serve, as a way to give back to both my neighboring and worldwide communities, and God in the Wilderness in order to be in closer contact with God.

Overall, my faith has opened within me a need to help anyone who requires it and to spread the faith that helped me become who I am today.

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