We not I

The goal of this essay was to write an autobiography without using the word "I". The purpose is to think of yourself as a "we" in relation to what groups you associate yourself with:

The most important “we” in my life is my relationship with God. The Holy Trinity (God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit) is the one that receives my worship and provides direction in my life. We have gone through a lot together- most of it being my own transgressions, but through everything his love has remained sufficient and real in my life. To my childhood culture- Southern Baptist- a relationship with God is the most important thing one can do with their life. This relationship is usually heavily pushed by each child’s parents or guardians. As we all grow up and experience college and adulthood we tend to find that our faith is something that can not be genealogically passed down, but rather a grace that one has to individually receive and take ownership of. My life right now is going through that transition.


One group that has helped me through this transitional period is the Baptist Student Union (BSU). However do not make any prejudgments because of the Baptist name. These people live their life a little closer to the way Jesus lived his. We do not profess the Baptist name as necessarily the best way. The reason we sport the Baptist name is because the Southern Baptist convention financially supports our endeavors. However, in our community most of us didn’t even grow up Baptist or currently think that it is the best form of Christianity. We at the BSU try to accept all who come; treating them with love and respect, whether or not they have all the exact same beliefs we do. These people have become my close friends, and are eternally instrumental in the direction my life is going in.

My sophomore year in college University Housing hired me to be a Community Advisor in the resident halls. This year, being a junior, is my second year. Turns out, University Housing (the Administrative Assistants, the Graduate Assistants, the Resident Hall Directors, the Community Advisors, and the Office Assistants) have a little culture of their own. Community Advisors do things like create programs for residents, enforce policies, act as a mediator or counselor in their individual halls, and much more. Because we (Community Advisors) all generally have the same responsibilities, we instantly have a big common ground. Among student jobs on campus we have the most responsibility, the most hours, and are the highest paid. That is a huge burden to carry along with classes, our social lives, and extracurricular activities. Because the job takes over such a huge portion of our student life, it shapes our thinking and broadens our horizons. Diversity, open-mindedness, responsibility, accountability, and balance are all values the job as a Community Advisor has taught me.

It would be hard for one to name every single social group they belong to, but these are a few of my most influential ones. Each day the lessons learned from my relationship with God, my experiences at the Baptist Student Union, and my job as a Community Advisor affect which direction my life goes in.