We all have something to learn. And for some of us, we have people in our orbits who have generously given their time and wisdom to teach, guide, and shape us into better versions of ourselves. As members of a community steeped in the values of purpose, service, and leadership, a coach or mentor is a mere stone’s throw away, and a vital life lesson is never too hard to come by. In this issue of Pepperdine Magazine, we meet both the teachers and the students of these lessons.
In our cover story, we meet the women who, through the perseverance of those who came before them, are excelling in their sports and making strides for the women who will benefit from the opportunities they were able to seize. In “A Study in Context,” we discover a group of scholars who left the comfort of Malibu to learn from the dynamic people of Uganda who taught them, from prisons and playgrounds, how to view life through unfamiliar lenses. We meet a faculty/student team that explored deeply the experiences of Native American students in Arizona and helped them tell their stories in meaningful ways through the art of documentary filmmaking. And we hear from the founders and entrepreneurs who have been the bestowers and benefactors of lessons in problem- and solution-finding so they and their teams may change the world.
As a student of varied disciplines during my 12 years at Pepperdine, I have learned countless lessons from my mentors who have shaped and challenged me in ways that have tested both my personal and professional limits. They saw my potential and pushed me to see it through the pinhole I was looking through. They cast a vision so big and so far that it took much focus and, sometimes, binoculars to see what they were imagining. It was the best thing that could have ever happened to me as a writer, as a colleague, and as a friend.
As I continue to learn and grow in my own position of leadership, I will cling to the lessons my mentors at Pepperdine have instilled in me and in our community to pursue our passions relentlessly, to advocate for one another in ways that push everyone forward, to raise our voices and champion the causes we believe in, and to never, ever stop at good enough.