Castellanos Yanez , Linda
Chapel Programs
April 7 , 2014
Reflection
This was my first year attending Azusa Pacific University. When I first attended last semester in the fall of 2013, I had a difficult time transitioning as APU isn’t always transfer friendly. As a transfer student, one leaves an institution and then is just getting used to another school. Academically APU has challenged me in ways I never imagined. The history department has been incredible with the level of difficulty. My only disappointment has been that APU does not or has not offered historiography in quite some time. At other educational institutions, history majors are required to take historiography in order to know and understand what type of history we would like to study. I understand that the department is small, but it would great to see a variety of courses. For example, Latin American history or even a course on women’s history in the United States. I look forward to the courses being offered next semester that will be taught by Dr. Mazza.
When I was deciding on which university to attend, I was unsure of where to go. Ultimately, I chose APU because of its location, not its religious affiliation. Being at a Christian university has been a far more different experience than I could have ever imagined. Everyone on this campus is beyond friendly and has helped me grow in my faith in ways I never imagined. I rather enjoy attending chapel it’s a much more personal experience. I don’t enjoy going to chapel in the Felix Event Center it feels very impersonal and I can’t connect or relate to the speaker at the time. Kaleo, and prayer chapel have been the ones to open up to me the most. During Kaleo, it’s the one time that I can attend chapel and sing. I was raised in a Catholic family, and Kaleo is completely different from what I am used to. I do enjoy having the guest speakers tell us a life story and relate it to God; it really is a different way of worshipping. When I am having a rather awful week, I love that Kaleo is right in the middle of the week I can close my eyes and sing along with the chapel band. It gives me a feeling that everything will be okay, no matter how stressed I am the worries seem to lift from my shoulders. The same is with prayer chapel. The only difference is that it’s my personal time with the lord. I get to pray for the nations, my family’s well-being, friends, and the less fortunate. Prayer chapel makes it perfect for a personal space with God, It’s the time where I know I can pray and speak my mind and I feel in my heart he is listening. This is one aspect where I can thank APU for giving me a space to pray, and worship even if it is different from my faith and my upbringing.
Prior to attending Azusa Pacific, I previously attend Santa Monica College. Although it was a crowded campus the social life on campus was fantastic. There were a variety amount of clubs and organizations students could join that were geared towards social movements, modern dance clubs, and how we could make reforms in Sacramento. I felt the student government actually made a difference on campus and the students had a voice. When I transferred here I considered joining student government; until I heard students say it was a joke; students only join here so they can put it on graduate school applications.
It saddens me to know that students here are only concerned about this being a Christ – centered campus. There is so much that we can do around campus, so many different types of organizations. That being said, I felt I was far more social at SMC than I am here. SMC had a variety of people with different backgrounds, beliefs and were very open minded. I’m not involved with anything at APU. If the Political Science and History department did more activities such as the current tea & shortbread it does, it would be fantastic.
I’m currently involved in a non – profit organization called College Summit. College Summit believes in assisting high school students from low- income communities to go to college. During summer workshops we provide upcoming high school seniors with financial aid information, how to apply to college and various other tools. I wholeheartedly believe in this organization and its mission. I hope to one day help teenagers from underprivileged communities such as the one I grew up in. College Summit takes up much of my free time on the weekends and during the summer. I hope the Young Progressives club is not closed next semester it is one of the few clubs on campus that peeks my interest.
This year or this semester has been quite difficult not just academically but in my personal life as well. About a year ago my father began to notice a lump in his throat, the doctors and specialist he saw did not believe it was anything serious because there were no major changes in the months to follow. However, this year, my father had to get a throat biopsy and must make more appointments in the months to follow. I am still struggling with the thought of my father having cancer of the throat. It is a troublesome thought. I have struggled academically and have been distracted by the thought of my father’s health. I commuted and missed a great deal amount of chapel because my father was ill. When I lived at home it was my responsibility to make appointments for my parents, made sure my brother came home on time, bills were paid, work and make time for my studies. I still do this and more from afar. It is highly unfair for someone to have to pay a fine, or write essays, or justify why they missed chapel.
If there is anything I have learned about responsibility is that I must learn to balance everything no matter how much it is or what I am trying to juggle; because in life, no one will care about what you are doing or why, just as long as you get your work done.