Having been unusually complacent in my college search, I ended up at Whitworth because I liked the trees, the abundance of pianos here and was luckily offered a spot on the soccer team. I didn’t put much thought into the Christian or conservative stigmas of Whitworth, but just enjoyed the idea of playing soccer and going to an academically excellent school.

Many athletes have a tough time here, as they come solely to be an athlete, and thus may have negative attitudes about the community at Whitworth. I, on the other hand, fell in love with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of times when I stared at my Buddha collection and asked myself, What on earth am I doing here? However, I always came around, never regretting my decision, even at the culmination of my four years here.

I would almost always recommend this school to any prospective student; of course there are circumstances when I’d say this isn’t the place for you. I think the academics here are outstanding. Here’s a shout-out to the English department whom I have spent much time with in the catacombs of Westminster. Alongside the benefits of class size here, I have found that the relationships developed with my professors compare to no other school my friends attended. I recently told my friend, who attends another university, that I was going to get my professor’s advice on something entirely personal and non-academic, and she was very confused. I had a hard time explaining that that is the way things work around here.

I could commend the professors and coaches here all day from a variety of departments, but I’ll stop short of being a brown-noser for obvious reasons, nobody likes a brown-noser! In a previous article, I discussed how the community at Whitworth stifles the opportunity to explore the community of Spokane, but what a wonderful problem to have. I love that everyone has a friend here, and I know that sounds awfully Bible camp-esque, but it’s true.

Whitworth is a diverse community regarding political, religious and societal views. There is a place for everyone, and a community that will understand you. There is something special on this campus, and I would always want another human being to share the experience that I had here. I have been challenged in ways I never would have been anywhere else, and have met some pretty amazing people along the way.

Berentson is a senior majoring in English and Spanish. Comments can be sent to [email protected].