SPU Stories

You said I couldn't, but I did, and here I am.

My two main people in my life are probably my mom and my sister, just because I've known them my entire life. I feel like people come and...

The moment I started letting myself feel those emotions

Summer staff at Washington Family Ranch after my sophomore year of high school helped me a whole bunch. I went for a month, and at the...

I think living in Seattle has impacted me

I moved around a lot growing up because my dad is a marine. I was constantly moving around, meeting new people, and being in new...

The beauty of the mountains and the water is worth it all.

I’ve always been an anxious person, my thoughts and feeling just get out of control. I think there is a point where I can hide it, but...

I began to understand how to take others’ feelings into consideration

I’ve always come across as someone who isn’t approachable. People tended to think that I was scary or mean. A teacher once told me that I...

Then hopefully the world is better for it

People did not believe me. I couldn’t go to school, couldn’t get out of bed. There was no official diagnosis. “Oh what’s wrong with you?”...

My dad is my biggest supporter

The person that has had the biggest impact on my life would definitely be my dad. I can always relate to my dad, more so than with my...

I want to do something that makes me happy

At SPU, my happy place is probably down by the canal. Anywhere I am can genuinely sit, read, and listen to music, I’m happy. But...

What’s my future going to be? What kind of job do I want?

When I was in China, especially in high school, most of my classmates were not Christian, so I felt like I was the only one. I felt that...

It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s always been worth it

At first when most people meet me, I can be a bit quiet and reserved in a way that has been described before as cautious. This particular...

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We are students at Seattle Pacific University. We designed this blog to challenge stereotypes by giving individuals a chance to speak for themselves, to create their own labels, and to share their own stories. Through the personal narratives of students, staff, and faculty at SPU we hope to celebrate uniqueness and unity, the beautiful truth that here we are many shades of one color: maroon.

Most stories have two photos. The first picture represents what we think people see when they look at us, the stereotypes and labels we have lived with our whole lives. After reading our stories, you can see photos that represent what we wish people could see when they look at us, what they will see when they take the time to hear our stories. These words embody who we are, what our stories have helped us to become, and how we want to be known.