Collide Magazine Issue 8

WHERE IDEAS COLLIDE & STORIES IMPACT APRIL 2012 • ISSUE 8

MOLDING CLAY INTO GOLD | THE CHANGE AMONG US | RETURNING TO THE ROOST

There’s a famous phrase called Gandhi’s paradox that always makes my mind melt: “Nothing you do as an individual matters, but it’s vital that you do it anyway.” It’s hard to

believe that the actions of one person can make a difference, but when looking at MOVERS AND SHAKERS like Gandhi, sometimes passion and perseverance can be enough. When I first got a call two years ago that our communication studies department was considering starting a magazine, I felt the same sense of hesitancy. We didn’t have a staff. We didn’t have a structure. We didn’t even have a name. But we had a small team of committed individuals who craved reading and telling stories with impact. Now, as I write my last and eighth editor’s note for Collide, I’m beginning to think Gandhi was on to something.

Making a difference is possible. Sometimes all it takes is debunking the belief that you can’t.

In this issue, we’ve uncovered others who aren’t letting fear keep them from moving and shaking. This includes an APU alumnus, in “Molding Clay to Gold,” who is training to become the first decathlete in Olympic history to medal three times. There’s also a band called Silent Planet in “Screaming to a Different Tune” who’s bringing prayer to the mosh pit. We’ve also collaborated to bring you our first special feature in “The Change Among Us” that highlights the entrepreneurship and innovation of five APU

students and alumni.As well, we’ve found a study showing that more than half

of college graduates are moving back home. In “Returning to the Roost,” we uncover why these post-grads don’t regret their decision. Online, you’ll find more. There’s a behind the scenes look at an APU-Biola art collaboration that’s hosted by one of Time magazine’s most influential evangelicals. We’ve also uncovered how to make a financial impact on a college budget.

No matter the medium, we hope you are inspired by these stories to pick up and get going. Change starts with you and on this campus, like pictured on our front cover. As you flip the page, you’ll see that you’re not alone. As always, thanks for reading.

Blessings,

Kaitlin Schluter | Journalism majorEditor-in-Chief

A big thanks to our our Collide Spring 2012 editorial staff (pictured below). Not present: Sarah Rogers, Lauren Williams, and Adam Daley.

WHERE IDEAS COLLIDE & STORIES IMPACTCollide Student Magazine • April 2012 • Issue 8

Editor-in-Chief ✳ Kaitlin Schluter | [email protected] Director ✳ Jonathan Dickson | [email protected] Editor ✳ Brandon Hook | [email protected] & Copy Editor ✳ Emeli Warren | [email protected] Coach ✳ Sarah Rogers | [email protected] Representative ✳ Adam Daley | [email protected] ✳ Karen Sorensen-Lang | [email protected]

Contributing Photographers ✳Amanda Burks, Jacob Burrows, Jonathan Dick-son, Jill Galloway, Kathryn Husted, Jordyn Sun.Contributing Writers ✳ Heather Justine Allen, Chelsey Barmore, Elissa Emoto, Lizz Goh, Chelsea Johnson, Jesse Merrick, Lauren Williams, and Zachariah Weaver.

Mission StatementCollide is a publication of The Clause, a multi-media student voice of undergraduate Azusa Pacific University. Our stories seek to bring people together on our pages where our ideas collide and stories impact readers. We provide narratives, inquiries, and dialogue in a Christian academic setting that values individual's stories as well as community concerns. Our writers are student-journalists interested in crafting articles that connect with readers and challenge them to grow as people and reporters.

Like our magazine? Want to put your advertisement in our pages?Please contact: Advertising Representative ✳ Adam Daley | [email protected]

editor's note

Teaser

THE MILLENNIAL VOTEA look at what’s drawing young voters to the polls and what’s keeping them home.

MOLDING CLAY INTO GOLDAPU’s own Bryan Clay trains to become the first decathlete in Olympic history to medal three times.

THE MODERN-DAY ACTIVISTOnline sit-ins and cross-generation protestors aren’t uncommon in today’s activism. Learn how else people are changing the ways they promote change.

THE CHANGE AMONG USWe highlight the experiences of five APU movers and shakers who are impacting their communities locally and abroad.

LIVING BY HOLSTEE EXAMPLECreators of the Holstee Manifesto advocate a lifestyle where people do what they love and do it often.

SCREAMING TO A DIFFERENT TUNESilent Planet isn’t your typical Christian band. They use screaming and moshing to spread the gospel.

SERVING THE SILENTAn APU ministry called H.I.S Years sends students abroad for two years to work in unreached nations.

RETURNING TO THE ROOSTOver half of college post-grads are moving back home to avoid high living costs. Discover reasons you may too.

THE SOLITUDE PARADOXIn a reversal of this issue’s focus on movers and shakers, we slow down to consider the benefits of recharging in the midst of solitude.

DOCUMENTING HOPEAn alumnus uses documentaries to capture the stories of those impacting others abroad in big ways.

5

79

111517

2123

25

19

Contents

country, whether it’s Obama or one of the four contending candidates in the GOP primaries.

“Young people must understand they absolutely have to get involved,” said Sena. “They have to change the course of everything that’s going on right now.”

Sena advises young voters to pay attention to the track record of policy activity for anybody running in 2012. “Young voters should be updated on the resumés of each candidate,” said Sena. “What track record of progress do they have and is this somebody that can actually get things done?”

Rock The Vote has given the millennial generation the resources needed to become politically aware of these things. For instance, in 2011 it created a program called Democracy Day in which educators and students could sign up online and receive teaching materials to take to their high school. They would then be able to host a 45-minute civic education class on the same day as other high schools, according to Rock The Vote’s website.

On March 23, they repeated this practice. Kelly Holleran, who blogs daily for Rock The Vote’s website, gave a breakdown on March 26 of what happened during this year’s Democracy Day. She wrote that a school from Philadelphia and another school from Los Angeles “garnered over 60 newly registered voters and secured another 60 pledges to vote.”

But that wasn’t all. She explained in her post that similar stories happened all over the country. Rock The Vote’s 100 Days of Learning, a chance given to educators all over the country to teach a Democracy Class from Rock The Vote, kicked off on the same day.

Emily Tisch Sussman, executive director of Young Democrats of America, says there

is always a little drop-off in young voter participation between presidential election cycles. “Young people did play a very big role in 2008 and voted in record numbers,” said Sussman. “I think we can get there again.”

She explained there was a real magic around the 2008 elections with Obama. He had a “newness” that just isn’t with him anymore, according to Sussman. “For a lot of young voters, he is the first president they have been cognitive of,” said Sussman. “In other words, for as long as they have been paying attention, he has been president.”

But Sussman said that’s why Young Democrats of America has to work even harder to communicate the issues and why President Obama is the right choice for young people.

Sussman explained there are states that have passed laws making the process of voting more difficult than it has ever been for young people before. There have been at least 33 states affected by such laws including Wisconsin, Alabama, Kansas, South Carolina and Tennessee, according to an article called “ALEC Exposed: Rigging Elections” by political blogger John Nichols reporting for The Nation.

Sussman thinks these laws stop young people from voting. In a way it forces them to bring an unnecessary amount of identification

on voting day and makes the process of registration difficult. “I think it’s a major obstacle if you make it harder and harder for young people to register to vote,” said Sussman.

The voting laws Sussman is referring to have been proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). But according to “ALEC Exposed” by The Center for Media and Democracy, the legislative powers of ALEC require even a registered voter to bring identification on the day they vote. That means that even if the voter’s name is on the precinct voter registration list and they show up without identification, they cannot vote unless they come back with proof of it.

“I think that is a window into who wants young people voting and who’s keeping them from voting,” said Sussman.

She thinks that if young voters become more and more aware of these obstacles, the more likely things will change because the youth will be able to spread the word to everyone else. And more awareness can mean more voting.

“I would say to young voters that laws are going to be made whether you have a say in it or don’t,” said Sussman. “But there’s only one way your interests will be represented when those laws are being made and that’s if you vote.”

5 • Collide | April 2012

THE

“There’s only one way your interests will be represented when those laws

are being made and that’s if you vote.” -Emily Tisch Sussman

millennial generation, referring to anyone 18 to 29 years of age, became a “powerhouse” for American politics

in the 2008 election cycles, according to Rock The Vote’s factsheet “Young Voters: A Political Powerhouse.” Currently Rock The Vote, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that engages the youth in American politics, has recorded there are 44 million eligible young voters in America. But will the young powerhouse emerge again in 2012?

Kaitlyn Maynard, a junior history major at Azusa Pacific University and secretary of APU’s chapter of the National Political Honors Society, was inspired to be active in politics because of something the French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville wrote: “The dignity of man is not shattered in a single blow, but slowly softened, bent, and eventually neutered.”

“We’ve become complacent and so

studying the intentions of the founders [of democracy] has made me interested in being civically engaged,” said Maynard. “I don’t know if it’s so much of ‘I think I can change things,’ but I feel that it’s my duty and everyone’s duty as a citizen.”

She explained that if young people don’t engage in public discourse, then over time the rights they were once able to have would disappear.

Maynard thinks even though there was a strong turnout back in 2008, younger generations seem to be lacking overall compared to older ones when it comes to participation. She thinks civic duty and political participation should be very important in today’s young generation.

Jessica Sena, the western regional vice-chairman for the Young Republican National Federation, thinks enthusiasm will certainly continue because of advocacy groups that

target young people through the millennial generation’s forte: social media.

“It’s the way candidates campaign nowadays. Social media plays a huge role in branding a candidate,” said Sena. “I believe that young people are getting involved because political news is now a part of everyday life through social media, making it harder to avoid or be ignorant of.”

Candidate Barack Obama appealed highly to young voters the way no other public figure had done in a long time. And the polls proved that, according to “The Generation Gap and the 2012 Election,” a Pew Research Center article, which explained that the younger generation has increasingly voted democratic in the past four national elections.

But Sena thinks that after three or four years of presidency, Obama didn’t keep many of his promises. The youth must now decide again who they want to lead the

Young voters played a record high role in 2008 but where will they stand in this upcoming presidential election?

BY ZACHARIAH WEAVER | ENGLISH MAJOR

THEMILLENNIALVOTE

▶WATCH THISWill APU students be heading to the polls this Fall? Head online to watch exclusive interviews with your peers and learn more information on the voting process.

TheClause.org/Collide • 6

sponsors, requests for speaking, appearances, his foundation, and his family. Clay is married and has three kids.

“There’s constantly always someone pulling somewhere,” said Clay. “But like I was saying, I think APU gave me a good foundation to build my career on. I think part of that good foundation is hard earned. I do everything I can to keep my priorities in the right order that they’re in and that’s God first, family second, and track and everything else comes third.”

His training partners also recognize his commitment.

“It’s all about the dedication that you have,” said Tiffeny Parker, APU alumna and heptathlete. “I mean there’s so many other factors like outside life. He deals with family, all the sponsors, [and] all of the interviews he has to do. Every time he comes to the track it just doesn’t really matter. What happens on the track at the moment is where he’s at.”

Most of the time, the track is where he can be found. Clay trains at APU six days a week. He lifts weights at the gym Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and spends the rest of the week on the track.

“It’s really cool honestly, just to see his work ethic,” said Parker. “He’s the world’s best athlete for a reason.”

APU welcomes their Olympic star alum back every year. This is not only because of the immense amount of work he does helping the track and field team, but also because he keeps the university moving. According to APU Athletic Director Gary Pine, Clay helps draw many athletes to the university that might not have heard of the school otherwise.

“Having an athlete like Bryan attached to APU really opens a lot of doors for us,” Pine said.

While some Olympic athletes might stray away from a smaller campus like APU for a larger venue with more advanced facilities, Clay always finds his way back to Azusa.

“Azusa is my home,” said Clay. “It’s where my coaches are. It’s where everything else I do is at so I’m definitely still going to be training there.”

With the Olympic trials coming around the corner in June, Clay realizes the importance of defending his title of “World’s Greatest Athlete.”

“If I don’t get it done then I don’t have that title anymore,” said Clay. “So I have to try and do the best that I can and make sure that I stay on it and stay at the top.”

Clay hopes to do just that this summer on Jul. 27 when the 2012 Olympics games come to a start in London.

MOLDINGCLAYINTO GOLDAPU alumnus Bryan Clay heads to London this summer with one goal: to become the first decathlete in Olympic history to medal three times.

100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meters, 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault,

javelin throw and 1500 meters. These may sound like the events of an entire track meet for some but not for the world’s greatest athlete. These factors encompass the lineup for a single track and field event, the Decathlon:

No decathlete in Olympic history has medaled three times in the grueling two-day event. At this year’s Olympic games in London, he has the opportunity to cement his name in Olympic lore by taking home another medal.

“It would be a huge honor for me because I grew up watching the people before me try to do it,” said Bryan Clay, Azusa Pacific University alumnus. “Some of the greats have tried and haven’t been able to, so for me, if I could do it, that would be huge.”

At 32 years old, reigning decathlon champion Bryan Clay, currently has two medals to his name. In 2004 he took home the silver medal in the Athens Olympic games. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Clay won the

title of “World’s Greatest Athlete” by placing first in the decathlon.

Clay had his eyes on Olympic gold at a very young age.

“That was back when I was eight years old,” said Clay. “That’s when the dream started for me.”

Long before his Olympic dreams became a reality, Clay’s journey started in the Aloha State. After growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii, he graduated high school in 1998 and made his way across the Pacific Ocean to Azusa Pacific University.

“I think APU was a big part in helping me learn good values and morals and integrity,” said Clay. “I think that is ultimately what has allowed me to be a better athlete. Strengthening my faith and learning more about who I am and how I tick.”

An illustrious track and field career at APU paved the way for Clay to run, jump and throw his way to eventually make his childhood dream a reality.

Following his leap onto the Olympic scene at the Athens games in 2004, Clay founded an organization a year later. The Bryan Clay Foundation seeks to encourage youth to be movers and shakers in their community. The

foundation helps them realize and maximize the power their gifts and talents can have when they reach their true potential.

“The better I do in track, the bigger that platform is for me to go out and do things with my foundation,” Clay said.

Clay’s platform skyrocketed after winning the gold medal in his second Olympic appearance at the 2008 Beijing summer games. He spoke at the 2008 Republican National convention and was even the featured champion on a special edition Wheaties cereal box.

“It was just hectic; it was absolute chaos,” said Clay. “I was traveling all over the country and all over the world doing all kinds of different things.”

He made his way back to Azusa Pacific University where he now trains with former University of Arizona decathlete Jake Arnold, APU alumnus hurdler Dominique DeGrammont, and an Olympic heptathlon hopeful, APU alumna Tiffeny Parker.

While training in Azusa, Clay combats the constant push and pull in every direction from many areas in his life due to his athletic success. On any given day, Clay balances training,

The

BY JESSE MERRICK | COMMUNICATION STUDIES MAJOR

TheClause.org/Collide • 87 • Collide | April 2012

“I do everything I can to keep my

priorities in the right order that

they’re in and that’s God first, family second, and track and

everything else comes third.”

-Bryan Clay

“Some of the greats have tried and haven’t been

able to, so for me, if I could do it, that

would be huge.”-Bryan Clay

Bryan Clay trains regularly on Azusa Pacific University's campus for the Olympic games. (Photos Courtesy of Amanda Burks Photography)

MORE APU OLYMPIANSAlthough Bryan Clay may be the most decorated Olympian to graduate from APU, he isn’t the only former Cougar to represent the school in the games. Here’s a look at 6 other APU alumni who have participated in the Olympics:

Innocent Egbunike, Nigeria, 400m, 4x400m, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, Bronze

Dave Johnson, USA, decathlon, 1988, 1992, Bronze

Kriss Akabusi, Great Britain, 400 hurdles, 1992, Silver

Fatimat Yusuf, Nigeria, 400m, 4x400m, 1996, Silver

Davidson Ezinwa, Nigera, 100m, 4x100m, 1988, 1992, 1996, Silver

Osmond Ezinwa, Nigeria, 4x100m, 1992, 1996, Silver

Data courtesy of APU’s Athletics department

TECHNOLOGY AS A TOOLThat’s what Douglas Schatz did upon

graduating from Hampshire College last spring. He’s now the assistant-organizer for Fight for the Future, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting technology as a “necessary human right.” He found the job posting on Craigslist, and began his introduction to public activism.

“I sort of felt like I needed bolstering credentials to help somebody and to get involved with a lot of these organizations,” said Schatz. “I think that if you go out and really ask for what you want, a lot of times, at the very least, you will receive help and advice on how to get there.”

Through his experiences meeting with “monolithic online corporations,” he found that organizations are typically responsive when they meet someone who cares about mutual issues. Such conversations led to the largest online protest in history. Fight for the Future joined other groups to advocate against the Stop Online Privacy (SOPA) and Protect IP (PIPA) acts. Major Internet players participated, including Google and Wikipedia. In total, more than 115,000 websites and 13 million Internet users participated, blacking out their websites for 24 hours and directing visitors to Congress.

“I think that activists who sort of scoff at the idea of an online sit-in or online protest can use the model of the SOPA and PIPA protest to create a new way to spread information and use it to even affect change in some way,” Schatz said.

David Meyer, Ph.D., author of “The Politics of Protests: Social Movements in America,” is still trying to wrap his mind around the ways technology has impacted protesting as a form of expression. In his observations of the recent Occupy movement, he witnessed participants utilizing Facebook, Twitter, and live streams to get their messages out. The Tea Party movement, which attracted an older crowd, used similar means.

Meyer, who is a sociology professor at the University of California in Irvine, described a common scenario of a student who was recruited by a friend to be active through a Facebook group.

“I don’t think that’s an unusual story anymore,” said Meyer, who recognized that protest movements also tend to polarize. Most people who join movements, he found, tend to enter with conflicting ideas concerning the ultimate goal.

“That’s what makes protest politics so exciting and unpredictable,” said Meyer. “It’s also what makes people disappointed about what happens because you don’t get everything you ask for. Even the successful movements don’t get everything we ask for.”

WHEN FAITH MEETS ACTIVISMOccupy Claremont member, Andrew

Mohr, is among 300 to 400 supporters still advocating for the 99 percent both nationally and locally although media hype has lulled. He had been camping out since last November at a site started by two Pitzer college students. A city ordinance forced the camp to relocate in January.

Mohr, who had never been involved in activism previously, was surprised that the movement wasn’t just about picket signs but it was also a community.

“There’s not just a political side to it,” said Mohr. “There’s also a philosophical side, a part of it that’s actually trying to offer a paradigm shift in the way we think and how we deal with one another.”

He said those in the camp embraced community, sharing both food and financial resources. “It actually surprised me that the Church is not more involved in it,” said Mohr,

who is a pastoral assistant at Claremont United Methodist Church. He is currently continuing to camp to support Occupy Claremont’s push for anti-poverty programs.

According to Bret Mavrich, a missionary who directs the Concentration in Justice ministries at the International House of Prayer, Christians should practice discernment in activism.

“I think we have to really pay attention to what is a divergence between the struggle for democracy, the struggle for political freedom, and the struggle for the Kingdom of God,” Mavrich said.

He critiqued the Occupy movement in his article, “How would Jesus Protest?” which appeared in Relevant magazine last October. Jesus is often included in what Mavrich calls the “holy trinity of civil disobedience,” being Gandhi, King, and Christ. But in lieu of Occupy, he recognized a general hesitancy to admit both the wealthy and poor as part of the problem. Injustice, Mavrich believes, points back to a greater spiritual core.

“The greatest injustice in the Earth, greater than human trafficking, greater than abortion, greater than one percent of the world’s wealthy courting the 99 percent of the world, is that Jesus is not worshipped,” said Mavrich, who sees prayer and intercession as the highest levels of protest and justice that Christians can practice.

But among types of social movements, Azusa Pacific University sociology professor Nori Henk notes there is no magical formula that connects them all. Social movements don’t exist in a vacuum, according to Henk, but rather among those involved in the movement. The process of socialization has prompted people to believe that confrontation is a bad thing. But Henk sees activism calling out that bluff, a socialized belief that to be a member of society means going along with it.

“In sociology, we always say discontent is ubiquitous,” said Henk. “Things aren’t really what they should be. But at what point does this discontent become actionable, become mobilizable toward actually doing something about it? I think we can complain all we want but the fact is, everyone needs to actually step up and do something.”

Your neighbor could be one, as well as your barista. The same goes for your pastor, your tattoo artist, your

roommate, or even, your grandparents. Although the label “activist” doesn’t seem common, a national study reveals that approximately two-thirds of Americans have engaged in some form of activism.

“Most people think, ‘well that’s not quite like me. I have a family, or I have a job, or I’m a student. I don’t really have the time for that,’” said Catherine Corrigall-Brown, Ph.D., who published her findings in her 2011 book “Patterns of Protest: Trajectories of Participation in Social Movements. “But the point is that most people, two-thirds of people, have at some point gone out to a protest event or been involved in a social movement group.”

College students aren’t exempt from this cluster of change makers. Corrigall-Brown found that this age group has advantages making them more available


“If you believe in something, you can actually make a difference in society. You can actually

change the world and it’s happened before. It’s important to get out there and get involved.”

–Dr. Catherine Corrigall-Brown

IN TODAY’S ACTIVISM, PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND SOCIAL CLASSES ARE NOT ONLY DITCHING PICKET SIGNS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT ALSO FINDING COMMUNITY AMONG

CHANGE MAKERS.

for activism, these being access to time and social networks. Variables like marriage and children act as barriers to consistent involvement.

Her research delves from a two-part study, which includes a survey by M. Kent Jennings that analyzed the protesting patterns of 1,500 individuals over a 32-year period. As well, she interviewed 60 past members of four social movement groups, which included the Concerned Women of America and a Catholic Worker group. While participants varied in social makeup, they were able to connect their personal issues with larger social problems. And, like past activists, not all need power to impact others.

“If you believe in something, you can actually make a difference in society,” said Corrigall-Brown, who teaches sociology at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. “You can actually change the world and it’s happened before. It’s important to get out there and get involved.”

BY KAITLIN SCHLUTER | JOURNALISM MAJORPHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN DICKSON

For a group of college students from Atas-cadero, Calif., their desire to make an im-

pact was met through a trip to the Baan Nok Kamin orphanage in Bangkok, Thailand.

“We were in the van driving away look-ing back at these little kids who are supposed to have nothing,” said Austin Miller, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo freshman English major. “Their parents died or they were taken away or they were put in slavery then taken out. These kids that are supposed to be so broken just have so much joy and so much life. We decided, then and there, that this couldn’t be the end of our relationship with them or the end of experiences like these.”

At this orphanage, Miller, Cuesta Col-lege sophomores international communica-tion major Brandon Armstrong and business management major Clay Cooper, and Azusa Pacific University sophomore global studies major Derik Schmidt found their inspiration to start U25 (U-two-five). U25 is a nonprofit that seeks to provide those aged 25 and under with a way to support orphanages like Baan

Nok Kamin globally. “We want to be that how, and the ways

and means for these kids to change the world and make them realize that it doesn’t take millions of dollars to change the world,” said Armstrong.

With the help of friends and family, the group traveled to Thailand four times since November 2010 to work with Baan Nok Ka-min. Their most recent mission trip was this past December where they put together a team of eight people and led an event called “Christmas for Orphans.”

The team fundraised almost $10,000 for the event. They provided the 200 children at Baan Nok Kamin with toys, art supplies, wa-ter filters, wall fans, and guitars for the wor-ship services.

“We just wanted to do something as a group of friends to impact people and do something big,” said Schmidt. “It turned out to be a lot bigger than we expected.”

These students not only impact the lives of these children but see a change in them-selves too.

“What I get most out of it is being ful-filled in relationships,” said Schmidt. “It’s su-per hard to leave and super emotional. There’s always crying. But when I get on the plane and when I get back, I feel good because I know that my relationship with these kids is doing something for them and is doing some-thing for the leaders of the organization.”

U25 realizes they are in a place to pro-vide whatever that something is. Their orga-nization believes they are called to help the orphaned and the widowed, and to provide them with the little things we may take for granted.

U25A trip to Thailand spurs these underclassmen to start a nonprofit that impacts the lives of the orphaned.

BY JESSE MERRICK | COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Val Nash, an APU alumna with an in-ternational business degree, found

it difficult to find a job out of college. Her solution? Nash started her very own nonprofit fashion line called Kavalena six months after she graduated in spring 2011. “I decided that I was not going to mope and not do anything, but I was go-ing to really use my life to try and help people,” said Nash.

Kavalena sells fashionable scarves for a good cause. With each purchase, fifty percent goes toward an organiza-tion that provides five key resources: food, water, healthcare, education, and freedom.

After writing a senior thesis on the brutal working conditions of sweat shops in the garment industry, Nash decided to take measures into her own hands. When it came to her business’ production, she would make the scarves herself.

“You can feel really good about wearing [Kavalena’s] scarves because you know exactly where it came from,” said Nash. “Nobody was hurt in the pro-cess, and you’re providing for people who really need your help.”

When she’s not sewing, Nash finds herself doing other things, like going into the city to find fabric and network-ing with new clientele.

“It’s a lot of work, but I love it and it’s definitely rewarding,” said Nash. “It’s cool to be able to see people like the product and the purpose behind it.”

However, creating this nonprofit was not an easy task. Pondering the ben-efits and outcomes of making her vision into a reality had its challenges.

“When you’re starting your own company, it really does sometimes feel like it’s by yourself because you have to wear all the hats,” said Nash. “But my APU community really encouraged me. I got to bounce ideas off of them and re-ally hear their opinions.”

With help, Nash received guidance from her father and older sister along with emotional support from close friends and family. Learning how to file online, get incorporated, and set up bank accounts helped Nash formulate the beginning stages of her business.

Eventually, Nash sees Kavalena growing into a five item clothing line within the next two years. This includes basic essentials such as tank tops, cardi-gans, and blazers. Nash’s vision includes partnering with other nonprofit organi-zations to help raise money for different parts of the world.

While Kavalena is still progressing and forming into what Nash desires, she continues to look upward for assistance.

“I’m just trying to keep an ear to heaven and figure out what God wants this company to be,” said Nash. “I’m ex-cited to see what He’s going to do and how He’s going to work on this.”

KAVALENAWhen this alumna couldn’t find a job after graduating, she created her own vocation that gives back. BY CHELSEY BARMORE | ENGLISH

The culmination of passion and innovation can reverberate change throughout communities, whether it’s through

the pops and locks of a hip-hop team or a fashion line that speaks intentionality. We listen in to the stories of five APU movers and shakers who are making an impact locally and abroad

THE CHANGE AMONG US

THE CHANGE AMONG US


Founder Val Nash wears one of her homemade scarves. (Courtesy of Jacob Burrows Photography)

Cuesta College sophomore business management major Clay Cooper with Eq.

U25 founders from left to right: Clay Cooper, Austin Miller, Derik Schmidt, Brandon Armstrong. (Photos by Jordyn Sun)

APU may frown upon unorganized dance parties, but it’s first ever hip-hop ministry

team Variety for One (VFO) has found a way to break it down. Decked in sweats or high-tops, they pop, roll and slide to create a unique art form. Watching them dance is like observing a community—each run-through is followed by applause and the raucous echo of familial laughter.

Yet VFO is doing more than eight counts. Senior sociology major and administrative captain Amanda Carmassi can be seen help-ing the group with intricate movements or planning events with her warn-for-wear event-crammed calendar in hand. VFO belongs to APU’s recently formed Dance Organization of APU that is currently in the process of being made “official.”

“VFO is a variety of dancers with all dif-

ferent backgrounds and all different styles, but we all come together with one purpose, which is to serve God and the community with the talent we have been given,” Carmassi said.

Every other weekend VFO offers free dance clinics where students of all dance back-grounds can gather to learn dance styles from swing to hip-hop. “Our target are those people who secretly want to dance, but have never been given the opportunity or the encourage-ment,” Carmassi said.

VFO also brings rhythm to the commu-nity outside of APU with their weekly visits to the Homework House and sponsorship of events like Hip Hop for Freedom on campus, which brings awareness to issues like human trafficking, sexism, racism, and consumerism. “Our dances are reflective of our response to these issues,” Car-massi said.

Freshman lib-eral studies major Kaila Long joined VFO because of her love of dance, but was surprised to find a family. As a team, Long feels they work like a family unit through the medi-um of dance, calling each other out while

offering a safe place for vulnerability. “[VFO] is being able to perform with people that you know care about you,” Long said.

Senior international business major Kat Pascual agrees. She’s been on the team for four years and is proud to see all of their hard work come to fruition. “I am super proud to leave behind this legacy,” Pascual said. She’s referring to the tight-knit family of artists that she de-scribes as a group who dance not only to heal themselves, but also to promote healing in their community.

As a whole, VFO is committed to this nar-rative art form—hip-hop dancing. “My favorite part is being able to create something that peo-ple can connect to,” Pascual said. And they’re doing just that—challenging their bodies to tell common stories that connect us all.

We all wear clothes that make a state-ment—intentional or not. Whether it

be casual, designer, sporty, minimalist, or chic, what we wear conveys a message about who we are. For Barnabas Clothing that message is “to live a life worth imitating.”

Barnabas clothing started in 2010, when CEO and APU alumnus Alex Aquino recog-nized the need for positive role models and clothing brands in today’s society.

The literal meaning of the name ‘Barnabas’ is “son of encouragement,” and the company strives to encourage in word, deed and lifestyle. The company lives out its message by encourag-ing others to be a positive influence and gener-ously giving 10 percent of all sales to people af-

fected by HIV/AIDS in Western Kenya.“I want this to be more than just having

a name or a brand,” said Aquino. “I want the brand to be a lifestyle that encourages other people to really stand for positive choices, role modeling and a good message.”

The emphasis on role modeling may be why high profile clients have recognized them in the retail industry. The company has received attention from celebrities—Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Faith Hill, and Alicia Keys all sport Barn-abas’ designs.

Although the celebrity publicity is a plus, Aquino explains that the goal of Barnabas is to be a clothing brand that has an impact rather than just exist as another fashion trend. The inspiration came from working in youth minis-tries and noticing the role of clothing in today’s culture.

“Seeing students, I realized what they wear impacts and influences their lifestyle and their choices, and a lot of that has to do with what kind of brands they follow, “ Aquino said.

According to Aquino, Barnabas challenges us to ask ourselves what our clothing says about who we are and what we stand for, what message we convey and what we aim to represent.

For Barnabas Clothing it’s about asking, “Do you know what you’re wearing?” It’s about challenging young people to recognize that even what you wear can exude a positive or negative message.

VFOAPU’s first hip-hop ministry team breaks it down on campus and in the community.

BARNABAS CLOTHINGA fashion line offers the challenge of letting what you wear influence how you impact others.

BY LIZZ GOH | STUDIO ART

BY CHELSEA JOHNSON | ENGLISH

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, as of August 2011

there are more than 1.5 million tax-exempt organizations in the U.S. With such heavy competition, entrepreneurs are doing their best to create a worthwhile cause that will not only change lives, but will shake up the nonprofit world. APU senior international business major Mitch Ahlenius and business administration alumnus Benjamin Juhlin believe they may have found a way. They’re calling it The Responsible Revolution.

“I had always wanted to start a nonprofit. I just didn’t know how to go about choosing one people group and one cause,” said Juhlin, who is the chief creative officer. “I realized that with [The Responsible Revolution], we would

be able to help all causes by helping those who already help people. We could strengthen the causes and effectiveness of pre-existing nonprofits.”

By using for-profits strategies, the business will create a website similar to Amazon Marketplace. The goal for the site is to sell products from socially aware companies. As their business grows, they will add graphic design services and administer loans.

Ahlenius, the business’s CEO, had the idea for the nonprofit while studying abroad in South Africa in the spring of 2011. At the time, he wanted to pursue research for poverty alleviation strategies; having done projects that sparked his conviction for the issue. After meeting Russell Quinn, an agricultural specialist from Zimbabwe, the two began to work together on various business ideas.

“Quinn knew that the local people believed that when times got tough they would be bailed out. He wanted there to be a way the people could realize their own opportunities,” said Ahlenius. “We wanted to create a sustainable solution that benefits both parties to change the paradigm.”

Ahlenius realized that in order to do this, he would need to create a new market for socially aware purchasing where every transaction goes directly toward benefiting someone in need.

“Our goal is not to create handouts but

to create a sustainable system,” said Ahlenius. “What we want to do is help [nonprofits] access new markets so that they can grow locally, in effect creating more demand for their products so that they can expand. They can help more people while we’re sharing their story.”

As Ahlenius and Juhlin relentlessly work on recruiting companies and gaining the necessary funding, the business is constantly evolving. The co-founders promise to produce a site where nonprofits can get the support they need to continue their work around the globe. The Responsible Revolution only hopes to be the channel through which these nonprofits get just another step closer to making a difference in the world.

THE RESPONSIBLE REVOLUTIONTheir passion to serve resulted in a website that equips nonprofits to help others.

BY EMELI WARREN | ENGLISH


Founder Alex Aquino sports Barnabas Clothing wear. (Courtesy of Alex Aquino)

Co-founder Mitch Ahlenius

Top Row (Left to right): ChanWoo Lee, Kat Pascual, Kaila Long, Tony Li, Kellie Fujimoto, Cori Sakoda, Steven Mercado, Sarah Nolan, Sabina Christner, Briana Ahmed, Kevin Aquino, Jahni Haynes, Ashely Whitelaw, Austen Combs. Bottom Row (left to right): Amanda Carmassi, Estefanie Paje, Melissa Rosal, Anthony Tilar, Bernadette Arrogancia Nubla, Emily Meemz, Sybil Magutro. Missing: Gian Marco Dela Cruz, Tracie Park, Anthony Guerrero, Kalani Gonzalez, Jesse Ismael

people to be mindful about their purchases. Their project began when each of them decided to leave the sta-bility of their jobs and take a risk with a start-up company in 2009—a time hit hard by the recession.

“There was a lot of excitement but nervous energy at the same time,” said Holstee’s co-founder Mike Rad-parvar. “When we went in and actu-ally quit our jobs, we were excited to create something new—to create a lifestyle and really address issues that were important.”

The name Holstee was a result of their first design: a simple, Los Ange-les made T-shirt with a holster pocket made of organic cotton and hemp. Holstee has grown to create a pock-eted cotton dress, a vegan wallet made of plastic bags and curated items from other like-minded companies to sell on their website.

“Our goal is that whether people are shopping at Holstee or somewhere else, it is creating a curiosity for how their products are made,” Radparvar said.

At the start, the three entrepre-neurs were confident in their venture into the sustainable goods industry. They hoped to relish in the freedom from demanding jobs by writing a mission statement to live by.

“How can we create a reminder of how to hit the reset button on life?” said Radparvar, as he and his co-founders saw the struggles ahead that might shake their confidence. “We had a level of clarity of what was important in life—something we may not always have—so we wrote [the manifesto] for ourselves and put it on our [personal] websites as a way to immortalize it.”

They never imagined their per-

sonal mission would become a man-tra for living a passionate life.

“People were tweeting in lan-guages we’d never seen with the let-ters ‘Holstee’ in between,” said Rad-parvar, whose job title is ‘lead story teller.’ “We never expected for it to be shared.”

Mary Shouvlin, a 2010 gradu-ate of Fordham University, found the manifesto through a blog during an uncertain time for finding employ-ment. About a year after graduating, she had the opportunity to meet a Holstee employee who inspired her to apply for a position with the com-pany. Shouvlin was hired last August as their community engagement and social media officer.

“I graduated two years ago and there was this pessimistic outlook on graduating because there weren’t that many jobs,” said Shouvlin, “But don’t let [pessimism] be a hindrance to allowing you to really follow what you’re passionate about—even when you leave school you’re still young and have the capability to take risks.”

Risks and all, the Holstee mas-terminds are staying true to their manifesto through their undertaking of change within the shopping world.

“The future definitely favors sustainable consumerism. It is going to grow and get more sophisticated,” said Radparvar. “Right now it is a lack of information and transparency, but those are walls that are coming down left and right.”

Nevertheless, Holstee’s success lies in their love for what they do.

“We created something that came from a special place—it came from our hearts,” said Radparvar. “It was very genuine. We didn’t create it for anyone else, we created it for us.”

Living by Holstee Example

his is your life. Do what you love and do it often. If you don’t like your job, quit. If you’re looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things

you love. Live your dream, and wear your passion.” These unembellished statements are part of a manifesto created

by the founders of New York’s ethical goods company, Holstee, which encourages people to live life well.

By popular demand, the manifesto is now emblazoned in bold black font against white recycled paper in the form of posters and stationary. The message has been shared over 500,000 times and viewed by 60 million according to the company’s website.

Brothers Mike and Dave Radparvar, along with their best friend Fabian Pfortmüller, launched Holstee with a mission of inspiring

“T

A jumpstart campaign inspires people to live sustainably and simply.BY ELISSA EMOTO | COMMUNICATION STUDIES MAJOR


Theological education for the church that will be, not the church that was.

REDEFINING SEMINARY

· · learn more at theseattleschool.edu

u

And introducing our Leadership and the New Parish CertificateA new year-long intensive program for pastors and their neighborhoods.

Featuring three tracks: Creative Arts & Theology, Global & Social Partnership, & Interdisciplinary Studies.

Master of Arts in Christian Studies

Training Pastors to be theologically relevant, culturally engaging, and agents of transformation.

Master of Divinity

Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

Preparing and educating Therapists to help people find healing, freedom, and restoration.

Inviting a cohort of 100 students to participate in a transformative education.

Photo by Kathryn Husted

a label. Instead, success is about what Christ is doing in and through them at their shows.

While signing with a label would allow the band to do more, they are not intent on signing soon despite offers from lesser-known labels. According to Russell, Silent Planet is instead committed to making good, original art and using it to love other people and tell them about what Christ is doing through band members’ lives.

“As a band, we try to practice true community and fellowship,” said guitarist Ryan Whittington. “We hang out and pray with each other. Our goal is to model it more than preach it.”

Practice What You PreachAccording to Russell, last year

Silent Planet fell apart and he thought the band was done. Russell and guitarist Nathan Benedict were on a plane when Benedict had a vision of a man asleep in a prison that was on fire. Nearly a month later, a former member was jailed and the bass player, Garrett Lemster, was in a car accident that put him in a coma. Both events happened within two weeks of each other.

“Instead of touring, we spent most of last summer in prison and hospitals,” said Russell.

It was uncertain whether Lemster would wake up, let alone regain motor skills. Lemster broke out of the coma after about a month and was recently able to pickup bass again for the band.

Lemster describes the experience

SCREAMING TO A DIFFERENT TUNE: SILENT PLANET as a time where the relational

focus of the band was played out within the context of Silent Planet.

“These guys supported me all the time and were there when I needed them,” said Lemster. “It’s amazing to have people to go to in a time of need.”

Both trials eventually became the focus for their new EP, “Come Wind, Come Weather.” It was recorded in Atlanta at Glow in the Dark studios with engineer, producer and mixer Matt Goldman. Goldman has done recording for bands such as Third Day, Casting Crowns, Copeland, Anathallo and Underoath. Silent Planet was able to get a discounted price to record their new EP with Goldman and flew out to Atlanta in late January.

Silent Planet used the website Indiegogo to raise funds, offering prayer ropes, family meals, drawings, and even a tattoo on a band member’s butt of anyone who would donate thousands of dollars. All of these methods, according to Russell, were a way to connect to people and make the fundraising experience more than about money.

Once in Atlanta, the group again put their relational way of life into practice. Russell said Goldman “gave up his life,” letting Silent Planet borrow his car and picking them up from the airport. The dynamic, according to Russell, veered from the typical you’re-the-studio-guy-and-we’re-the-band kind of interaction.

You can support Silent Planet by checking out their new EP, which is set to release in May, at http://www.facebook.com/silentplanetmusic. Who knows? Maybe they’ll support you someday too.

hen was the last time you went to a Christian hardcore concert to get a

tattoo? For APU band Silent Planet, tattoos are part of a holistic, worshipful concert experience that extends beyond simply playing music. Shows might also include giving out flowers, washing people’s feet and praying for people.

“We view [Silent Planet] as an art project,” lead singer and senior philosophy and English major Garrett Russell said. “We’re seeking to create an artistic experience at a show where there’s paintings, things that we’ve grown, and drawings and tattooing and music and this mix of art. Music is the primary venue through which it happens, but the hope is that there are multiple dimensions to it.”

Even the shows themselves reflect a band on the rise whose mantra literally screams “different.” Just look at their group photos: a hardcore band sits down for a photo shoot in “onesies” and has what Russell calls a cuddle-fest. Their other shoot, reminiscent of the Beach Boy’s iconic “Pet Sounds” album cover, has all five members of Silent Planet mingling with goats in a petting zoo. They took their most recent photos while clothed and half-submerged in the ocean.

W

Christianity and HardcoreThe group’s eccentric band

methodology is directly related to their Christian identity.

“Our goal is to bring hope and encouragement and worship to shows,” said Russell. “We’re definitely a Christian band, and our desire is to see people that are captive to sins or lifestyles that are killing them freed through Christ. We exist to worship through many different art forms.”

Silent Planet focuses their shows on relational ministry.

“We’re not so much looking to get on stage and say, ‘Hey, you guys should be more like us. You guys should follow Jesus like this and this is why,’” said Russell. “We definitely talk about who the Lord is to us, but the quality interactions happen afterward if we can get food with somebody or bring a potluck to the show, or we hang out with somebody and stay in contact with them.”

With this method in mind, Russell explained that the whole night becomes an opportunity to be salt and light instead of limiting ministry to the message on stage.

“There are a lot of Christian hardcore bands that say, ‘Repent or parish,’” said Russell. “And I don’t think that’s how you really show somebody Jesus because I don’t think that’s how Jesus revealed himself all that often in the Bible. We’re trying to expand our ideas of what it means to be a Christian hardcore band.”

For Silent Planet, “making it” in the music industry is not about how many people know of them or whether or not they are signed with

“WE’RE TRYING TO EXPAND OUR IDEAS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN HARDCORE BAND.”

-GARRETT RUSSELL

An APU band is shaking up the hardcore music scene with faith-inspired lyrics and performances where moshing and prayer collide. STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRANDON HOOK | ENGLISH MAJOR


Silent Planet band members from left to right: Nathan Benedict, Ryan Whittington, Garrett Russell, Garrett Lemster, Spencer Keene, and Teddy Ramirez.

he goal of Azusa Pacific’s H.I.S. Years program is to strategically place missionaries in the most unreached parts of the world–where Christians make up less than

2 percent of the population. According to the Global Research Department of the International Mission Board, this ‘unreached’ category is made up of an estimated 4.4 billion people living in what is being called the 10/40 window. This window, named by mission strategist Luis Bush, consists of the area that lies across Africa, Asia and the Middle East between 10 and 40 degrees latitude north of the equator.

Matt Browning, associate vice president of internationalization for the Office of World Missions, wanted to help students understand what it means to consider living somewhere else around the world, especially in an area they might not otherwise choose to.

“My deep conviction is that the North American church is not very strategic in how we’re getting people around the world

directly, H.I.S Years focuses on the emotional and spiritual preparedness of each individual.

Abby Fisher, an international business major who hopes to serve in the Middle East, grew up in Kenya with missionary parents. After serving on short-term mission trips and working in the Office of World Missions, Fisher admits that she was still nervous about the interview process, calling it “very personal and intimidating.” It demanded self-reflection, requiring Fisher to articulate her faith and how she felt about inter-faith issues. In the end, the process really helped her focus on the level of commitment that the program would require.

“Before you can start with other people, you have to focus on yourself,” said Fisher. Having grown up in the missions field, she has seen the way that some mission trips can be done poorly. She appreciates that H.I.S Years offers a defined window rather than just being about saving the world.

“That’s not what the body of Christ is for,” said Fisher. “The body of Christ is so that there are different body parts, and different body parts go to different locations and regions and do things well so that together we [save the world].”

Mark Morikawa, a double major in math and theology, is another student training with H.I.S Years. He didn’t come into the program with as much experience as Fisher. Even though he had heard about the opportunity during his freshman year, it wasn’t until the summer before

his senior year that he looked into applying. “It was the end of junior year and I knew

I needed to figure out what I wanted to do after graduation. That’s when I really started considering H.I.S Years,” said Morikawa. “I had gone on a short term trip the summer of 2009 to Japan, which is where I hope to go with the program.”

Students are encouraged to choose ministries to participate with based on their interests, as H.I.S Years is the starting ground but not the final destination. In Morikawa’s case, he has decided to work with Campus Crusade, a ministry that works with college students. “I find it easier to talk to college students because it’s easier to get deeper in conversation,” Morikawa said.

After teaching a variety of ages during Sunday school at his church and while leading a Discipleship Group, he finds age makes a difference. “There’s a comprehension ability that comes with being older,” said Morikawa.

As Morikawa prepares to go abroad, he is determined to get to know the people in the ministry on a different level. “I would like to focus on a more relational aspect—building friendships,” said Morikawa. Based on his

previous experience, he wants to let his actions speak more than what he says. “On my short-term trip, they were able to understand that in a more intimate way,” said Morikawa.

Jillian Gilbert, the operations manager for international programs in the Office of World Missions, believes wholeheartedly in the work that the H.I.S Years participants are doing abroad. As an APU alumna who grew up in Latin America, she sees a need for work being done in countries throughout the world. “We’re trying to go to tangible places to meet spiritual needs and physical needs,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert not only wants to see the students being intentional about serving, but also know that the program can help prepare them emotionally and spiritually to go abroad. She has been able to witness the students’ direct impact over the past five years.

“I have not yet seen one student who God doesn’t want them out—who shouldn’t go. And I have heard amazing stories, amazing things,” said Gilbert. “It is transforming people. And it’s not being in the program. It’s about the process of discovering what you can do after graduation. We don’t want you leaving here not knowing.”

to live out the claims of Christ,” said Browning. “I believe that part of our role is to think strategically about getting people around the world to make a difference. What would spur within [students] a desire to understand what is God’s best plan for the world?”

This is when the concept of H.I.S Years began to develop.

Browning was adamant about finding out why students weren’t leaving after graduation to go abroad. After discussion with fellow Office of World Missions staff, Browning found that finances were one of the biggest hurdles. Students didn’t feel they could leave while they still had loans to pay. H.I.S Years was created to offset this, contributing to the payments of the student loans of their participants for the duration of two years.

The H.I.S in H.I.S Years stands for hearing, investing and serving but also refers to His as God, as the program trains students on spreading the gospel through their actions. In its fifth year, H.I.S Years has been able to send fifteen students to places such as Tanzania, Indonesia, Nepal, Russia, Israel, Vietnam and even Pakistan. This semester they are

training another cohort of 8 students who will leave in August. H.I.S Years connects with other ministries, rather than hosting students abroad directly. As the program continues to thrive, more funding is needed to send more students.

Browning has big dreams for APU, with a desire for H.I.S Years to expand beyond the usual cohort without becoming a missions agency. He also wants to see students allowing God to interrupt their lives for two years.

“My vision was that APU would be a bank of students. I have a dream that it just becomes who APU is someday—that half of the students that graduate, within three months, are going somewhere around the world to serve,” said Browning. “If the corner of Citrus and Alosta can be such a unique breaking ground for people who have captured a bigger vision and God’s heart for the nations, that’s what I want to be about.”

H.I.S Years offers extensive training to those participating, but in a way that some might find nontraditional. Rather than focusing on cross-cultural training and preparing students for culture shock

SERVINGTHE SILENT

T

Students are committing their first years in the “real world” abroad, serving in areas where less than two percent of the population is Christian.BY EMELI WARREN | ENGLISH MAJOR

“If the corner of Citrus and Alosta can be such a unique breaking ground for people

who have captured a bigger vision and God’s heart for the nations, that’s what I

want to be about.” —Matt Browning


Rhoman Goyenecha'08 | Nepal

Robin Fawcett ‘08 | Vietnam

Kaitlyn Phillips ‘09 | Vietnam

Rachel Heddles ‘10 | North Africa

Phot

os co

urte

sy o

f Offi

ce o

f Wor

ld M

issio

ns

ather than a “failure to launch,” there is a growing trend of graduates who are returning to the nest post-diploma. Twentysomething Inc., a marketing and research firm, reveals that 85

percent of college grads will move back home after college. With the fear of rising loan rates—expected to double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent for Stafford loans—and the height of the student debt ceiling, moving back home isn’t looking too bad.

Dara Duguay, the former director of the Citigroup Office of Financial Education and author of “Please Send Money: A Financial Survival Guide for Young Adults on Their Own,” discussed the recent post-grad housing options.

“The market is really really hard, not just for recent grads” said Duguay, who has friends that are unable to find jobs.

Before, Duguay shared that people could ask for “huge signing bonuses.” Now, they may need to lower their expectations. This might mean taking a job at a lower salary than expected, according to Duguay, or returning to live with your family.

“I’m seeing this trend so much,” said Duguay. “But moving back home isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially in a time when companies are converting positions into internships just because they can.”

Duguay warns that even though moving back home can be a good temporary decision, there should be a timeline for staying at home. Otherwise, it may affect your sense of

independence. “If you stay for longer than a short period, it can become dangerous,” said Duguay. “Don’t have an open-ended arrangement. You can start to become really dependent on your parents.”

Yet there are ways to strike a balance between saving cash while living at home and maintaining your sense of freedom. Duguay especially encourages recent graduates who are making an income to pay some form of rent while living at home. “It inspires at least the culture of responsibility, getting into the habit of having a payment that you’re responsible for and living within your means,” Duguay said.

Brittany Bond graduated in December from APU with a degree in theater and a minor in communication studies. Bond has since landed an unpaid internship with an entertainment public relations firm in Los Angeles and has moved in with her grandparents.

“People think it’s super easy to get out of college and then everything is suddenly paid for,” said Bond. But she has found that things aren’t so easy. She’s moved in to help curb the cost of rent and other expenses she would incur living on her own.

As far as what it’s like to go from same-aged roommates to her grandparents, Bond has enjoyed the transition. “It’s different,” said Bond. “I mean, I have to be cautious around them and their schedules, kind of like roommates, but they’re your grandparents.”

This may take a bit of adjustment from the freedom of coming and going when you please. Bond also said transitioning from a college campus makes maintaining community more difficult. “When you leave college, it really isn’t the same. You lose a lot of your core community,” said Bond. “We’re so busy that we don’t have that much time to invest in a lot of people. You have to invest.”

Some consider moving back home is a form of regression. According to city-data.com, which attracted 17 million visitors in February, the average cost of living in Los Angeles is 37.4 points above the national average. Bond and other students have found that living with family is a smart financial investment. “If you look at it in the right light, it will save you a lot of money,” said Bond. “When you’re ready to move out, you’re more financially stable.”

Simba Muzorewa, another December APU graduate, returned home to Las Vegas, Nev. after receiving his diploma. Muzorewa received a degree in political science and will be attending Wake Forest Law School in the fall. He returned home to work and save money after landing a job at Bailey Kennedy Attorneys at Law. For Muzorewa, the financial savings were a huge motivation since moving back home saved him anywhere from 500 to 700 dollars a month on rent. He also enjoys spending time with his family before he moves to North Carolina for

law school. Many graduates worry that moving

back home will feel like being in high school again, but Muzorewa debunks this common misconception.

“Unlike high school, it’s a different relationship dynamic with your parents,” said Muzorewa. “Once you’re out of college and set in your ways, your relationship with your parents is more like your roommates.”

He points out that by this time in students’ lives, they have pretty much developed their own identities away from home. Living back at home will most likely foster a different relationship, according to Muzorewa. “By this stage in your life, if you haven’t learned to be a good person, you’re not going to change your ways,” said Muzorewa.

Jenna Quan graduated in June 2011 from UCLA with a degree in history. Although she has a great relationship with her family, she feared that moving back in with her parents might be a move in the wrong direction.

“It felt a little like a step backward and I just didn’t want it to be that I was settling for something,” said Quan.

She considered it an adjustment period after being on her own for two years.

“It was kind of hard at first because I was so used to having my own place and not having to check in,” said Quan. “But if I’m gone, I feel a little guilty being away all day.”

Like many others, Quan returned home to save money on the cost of living. Although she

recently landed a teaching job in Hawthorne, Calif., she continues to stay at home to save while working on gaining her teaching credential. She admitted, however, that this is not a permanent arrangement. Quan said that graduates who begin to “mooch” off of their parents should be weary.

But how long is too long? “It depends on the situation,” said Quan.

“When the kid that’s at home isn’t pursuing anything else, the cords need to be cut.”

These decisions should also be reflective of the relationship between the parents and graduate.

“If you have unhealthy relationships at home, then it may be worth moving out,” said Quan.

Whether or not returning home after graduation is a good fit depends on several variables. According to these recent graduates, the return to the roost is worthy of consideration. Who knows? Returning home might be the perfect move for you.

Studies show a high likelihood

that you’ll move back home after

graduation. Learn why these post-

grads aren’t regretting their

decision to have parents as

roommates.

By Chelsea Johnson | English major

R “If you look at it in the right light, it will save you a lot of money. When you’re ready to move out, you’re more financially stable.” -Brittney Bond

TheClause.org/Collide • 22

looks like sitting in the car with no music, listening to God’s direction. Conversely, he’ll spend time in the woods around Hilltop. A good chunk of time during Ten Elshof ’s week is dedicated to solitude and reflection.

For students seeking silence, Ten Elshof recommends laying aside phones, computers, and TV to be as removed as possible from distraction.

Leif Nunneley, the assistant resident director of the Discipleship House with his Bachelors in biblical studies, believes even 20 intentional minutes a couple times weekly is effective for busy college students. The goal isn’t to build up to two hours of daily silence, according to Nunneley.

“The real goal is to listen and to try to open your ears and eyes to hear what God might be trying to show you,” said Nunneley.

Students need to be reminded listening isn’t prayer, which Nunneley understands as an entirely different discipline. “When you experience solitude, if you experience silence and that’s all you hear and you don’t get a word from God, that’s part of the experience,” said Nunneley. “Trust when it’s time for Him to speak to you, the discipline of solitude will put you in a position to be better able to do that.” God’s silence does not mean there’s hidden sin within you, explains Nunneley.

“Solitude really brings to surface things

we are able to avoid when we stay busy,” said Nunneley. Silence prepares hearts for God’s voice, but the discipline does not come naturally for Nunneley. As he describes it, solitude is not a “sexy discipline.” Nunneley ends his time drained and lonely more often than excited and energized.

However, there is a reason to practice this exhausting discipline. “As we come to a place of becoming more aware of who we are and what’s actually going on inside of us, it allows us to connect with people in more authentic ways,” said Nunneley.

For senior psychology major Victoria Leith, a third time resident advisor, life is incomplete without weekly solitude. “I’m a complete extrovert, but if I go an entire week without solo time, I will be no good,” said Leith. “If I have that time to myself to recuperate, I can pour into people a lot better.”

Solitude for Leith comes in a couple forms: slow mornings and music-less runs. Rising early while her roommate is still asleep, Leith enjoys the quiet by eating a bowl of oatmeal and reading.

Or, on the opposite end of the solitude spectrum, Leith will run without her iPod. “I think you can be in solitude and still be moving,” said Leith. “God speaks to me best when I’m outside, versus sitting in a room.” Sitting still often hinders her ability to intentionally listen

to God’s voice.Returning from the 48-hour solo time

on Walkabout, resident adviors’ wilderness leadership-training experience, induces excessive laughter and excitement for the extroverted Leith. Despite her love of people, God has taught her the same lesson all three Walkabouts. “Solo time for me has been a good time to realize that, as much of an extrovert that I am, I don’t depend enough on the people God places around me,” said Leith.

Achieving tasks on her own energy is her natural tendency. “I neglect to recognize that there are people in my life, staff, living area, and supervisors that want to help me and see me succeed,” said Leith. Solitude allows her to reflect and reevaluate how she does life.

Senior nursing major Christopher Ernst, also a resident advisor, chooses to spend small chunks of time in solitude. “I very much enjoy taking my bike out for a ride in the hills, having a cyclical motion and hearing birds chirping,” said Ernst. “I’ll pray aloud and leave my iPod at home.”

These small time spans hold more impact than his Walkabout experience. “Walkabout is such a dream, a cloud,” said Ernst. Walking out of the classroom and into the open air, knowing he’s going into a time of solitude, holds the most impact for Ernst.

“Solitude is a time of being by oneself apart from distractions of the world,” said Ernst. He believes you can find it in the early mornings, mornings where you don’t have to rush out the door.

Not that Ernst believes beneficial solitude cannot be found in intense circumstances. “My experience on Walkabout was unique because it was in the wilderness, but I don’t think that’s essential to find solitude,” said Ernst. “However, it’s certainly one way to encourage solitude.”

Within solitude, there must also be an element of community, said Ernst. “As much as solitude is alone time, I think it’s good to have accountability in it,” Ernst said. Roommates can help hold you accountable for spending that needed time in silence and reflection.

Ernst believes developing solitude within your life boils down to one question: what does solitude look like in my life today?

hen we pray alone, study, read, write or simply spend quiet time away from the places where we

interact with each other directly, we are in fact participating fully in the growth of community. It is a fallacy to think that we grow closer to each other only when we talk, play or work together.”

The late author Henri Nouwen explored this often unpopular practice of solitude in his essay, “Solitude and Community.” As a bustling, productive society, the word solitude leaves a bad taste in our mouths. If you aren’t “doing” or “producing,” why practice solitude?

Nouwen’s understanding of solitude revolved around the discipline fostering strong community. In a fast-paced, high-achieving world, the practice of solitude is left by the wayside. Retreating to silence has the possibility to cultivate both personal faith and community

for 21st century movers and shakers.Hilltop Renewal Center in Idyllwild, Calif.

focuses specifically on the discipline’s reflective and spiritual benefits. Gene Ten Elshof, co-founder of the retreat center, defines solitude as time alone spent with God, away from the distractions of electronics and the Internet. Often, meditating on Scripture intertwines with solitude.

Ten Elshof believes Christ is the ultimate example of solitude in action. “Often in the evangelical world, we’re so busy doing ministry that we don’t have time to really listen to the Spirit,” said Ten Elshof. “Drawing away as Jesus did and taking time to listen to what the Spirit has to say is important.” He points to Jesus drawing away from the crowds to commune with the Father.

“If we’re not practicing solitude, then we

don’t hear what the Spirit has to say to us,” said Ten Elshof.

Originally, Hilltop was envisioned as a sanctuary for pastors and Christian leaders, but has since evolved to include missionaries, church groups, pastoral staff, and many Talbot School of Theology students. His wife’s position as Talbot’s Director of Spiritual Formation ropes in students seeking retreat. Often, the students arrive in groups, but break into separate times of reflection. After two or three hours, they will rejoin to debrief their time alone. Time alone leads right back to community.

In the Idyllwild location’s five years in operation, Ten Elshof has seen many lives positively impacted. “Lives have been changed and they feel that they have a new sense and direction in life,” Ten Elshof said.

On a personal level, solitude for Ten Elshof

In a loud and fast-paced world, retreating to silence is a discipline that not only influences personal faith but also shapes community with others.

“Solitude really brings to surface things we are able to

avoid when we stay busy.” –Leif Nunneley

“W

BY SARAH ROGERS | ENGLISH MAJORPHOTOGRAPHY BY BRANDON HOOK


HOPEUzbekistan, Tanzania, Indonesia, and the Czech Republic. Prior to creating The Chronicle Project, Gudgel directed projects for clients such as Ford, English Language Institute China, and the Crisis Pregnancy Center.

In addition, Gudgel directed the documentary “Dear Francis,” following two college students as they embarked on an AIDS prevention program in Swaziland, the world’s most HIV-infected nation with nearly 40 percent of its adult population carrying the virus. The film won “Best Doc Feature” at the New York AIDS film festival and the “Crystal Heart” at the Heartland film festival.

Gudgel uses his gifts in filmmaking as a form of ministry, trying to do as much as he can to allow God to influence the stories he tells and how he tells them.

“I love [documentary filmmaking],” said Gudgel. “I do it now because for me it’s ministry. I want God to use my gifts as he sees fit to help expand the kingdom and see what it means to be in the kingdom, whether that’s explicit in the videos [or not].”

Gudgel is most proud of and excited about his series of five-minute short films called DEIDOX, “dei” meaning God and “dox” meaning documentary films. The shorts capture how ordinary people act out their faith. The series covers people like Robert Berry, a doctor who left a high-paying job as an emergency surgeon and started a clinic for the uninsured, to Lindsay Reyes, a young teacher who works with troubled youth in the Bronx.

Fundamental to the process of storytelling is God’s provision. According to Gudgel, God keeps taking him on a journey where he learns lessons in his life and a story pops up that applies directly to those lessons. During the production process, his questions are then answered, and he can communicate those thoughts to

a broader audience. Gudgel said that if God wants the

documentary to be made, he will provide funding as well.

“For most of our projects, we didn’t really know how they’re gonna work out until they just happened,” said Gudgel. “And it’s all stuff I couldn’t write. There were things that God just made happen. He’s provided time and again, giving us stories and people that we could have never written or predicted.”

“Dear Francis” was one such example, where 30 minutes prior to leaving for Africa to shoot the film, Gudgel decided he was not going because of a lack of funds. He then received a last minute donation of $25,000.

Professor in the Department of Theater, Film and Television, Dr. John Hamilton, has similar thoughts on the influence of God’s provision in documentary filmmaking. Hamilton has directed documentaries that alert people to the needs of the world in the Philippines, Nigeria, India and Venezuela. Hamilton has also made films for World Vision International.

“You have to research a lot in advance to know what you think you’re gonna get but things might change when you go on location,” said Hamilton. “You have to be open to serendipity—the happy accidents you get in the field. Usually you get one or two that change everything, and that’s an answer to prayer.”

Gudgel said that when we take steps of faith and are faithful with what we’ve been given, God provides. Part of documentary filmmaking that Gudgel enjoys is the fact that he does not determine what the film is going to look like, and he is therefore opening himself up for a faith journey.

“God is always giving us what he wants us to have, which is just enough for what he wants us to accomplish,” Gudgel said.

od works in mysterious ways, especially for documentary filmmaker Brent Gudgel, who began his film career because he wanted to get

paid to go to chapel. But if there’s one thing Gudgel has learned in the process, it’s that God provides.

Gudgel, an APU alumnus who graduated with a cinematic arts degree in 2002, has since gone on to co-found The Chronicle Project, a documentary production company that focuses on telling powerful stories through film.

“I kind of enjoy making films,” said Gudgel. “I more enjoy the process of engaging with life and the faith and then creating a message that can inspire and challenge others while they’re observing and inspiring me.”

Gudgel has directed productions in over 20 countries including Vietnam, Thailand, China, Tibet,

An alumnus gives a behind the scenes look at those making a difference in the world with film.

DOCUMENTING

BY BRANDON HOOK | ENGLISH MAJOR


Thinking about graduate school? Stick with APU.With eight locations across Southern California and online degree offerings, Azusa Pacific’s

graduate programs fit your schedule and put your career goals within reach.

Take the next step: Apply today! We’ll even waive the $45 application fee for current students.

LOCATIONS: WWW.APU.EDU/LOCATIONS

ONLINE: WWW.APU.EDU/ONLINE

13418

AzusaArt and DesignBusinessEducationLeadershipManagementMusicNursingPhysical TherapyPsychologySocial WorkTESOLTheology

High DesertEducationNursing

Inland EmpireEducationNursing

Los AngelesEducationTheology

MurrietaEducationLeadership

Orange CountyEducationLeadershipPsychology

San DiegoEducationLeadershipNursingPsychologyTheology

Ventura CountyEducationPsychology

OnlineComputer ScienceEducationManagementTESOL

G

Documents

Collide Magazine Issue 8