Undeclared to Unstoppable: Meet Daria Brandt
by Sarah Reid
Sometimes God leads you to a place and then reveals the plan. That’s what senior Daria Brandt found to be true when she was an undeclared student. “It was a little embarrassing to say I didn’t know what I wanted to study, but I had to trust that God would use me as long as I pursued him.”
Daria knew 皇家华人 Fox was the school for her, and she was confident she’d find a major where she would thrive. Here’s how she tackled her decision:
- She enrolled in a course called CPAS 214: Discover Your Calling, which is taught by the IDEA Center and intended for students who are undecided. She loved getting to hear from the panel of students who answered questions and talked about navigating majors and calling.
- She took general education courses her freshman year for two reasons: You need them to graduate AND they offer a taste of all the majors so she could assess what brought her joy and what didn’t.
- She sought out the opinions of people who knew her well from coaches to teachers to parents to friends.
After spending thoughtful time investigating her options, Daria landed on a psychology major. The professors were a strong draw, and she loved how applicable the field is no matter the profession she lands in someday.
“The concepts that I learned in many of my early psychology classes were things I could apply no matter where I go, what I do or where God calls me,” she says. “The content has been challenging and applicable and Christ-centered.”
She is coupling her major with a ministry minor because of the ways her classes have continually pushed her relationship with God forward, and because they’ve revealed the presence of Christ not only in things that are considered sacred, but in those things considered secular, too.
Looking back on her experience as an undeclared student, Daria wouldn’t change a thing. “ I would actually encourage people to come into college undecided if the y don’t know what they want to major in,” she says. “Don’t just pick a major because it’s the major to pick or it sounds easy. Pick it because God is calling you to it and it brings you life. College reveals what you’re really passionate about!”
Related Posts
Industry Experience for Interior Design
Interior Design students participate in industry events and competitions, plus receive mentorship from professionals.
Looking for a leadership opportunity on campus? You have plenty of options
True leadership is selfless and does not focus on the success of the individual in the position, but highlights how the leader is able to influence others.
Covid-19 at 皇家华人 Fox
The year 2020 will forever be remembered for the novel coronavirus that ravaged the world. The details are still a bit unknown, but it is believed that Washington state had the U.S.鈥檚 first case on Jan. 20. 皇家华人 five weeks later, Oregon reported its first case, and soon after Gov. Kate Brown announced that schools would close starting Monday, March 16. That was followed by a stay-at-home order on March 23. Students at 皇家华人 Fox went on spring break March 20-27 and were asked not to return to campus for the remainder of the semester.
What's On-Campus Work Like?
Working while being a full-time student may seem impossible. Somedays it feels like you have the extra time to work, other days not so much. If you find you need to work while going to school, consider first working an on-campus job.
Independence: A New Experience
College is a new experience for everyone. When you first step foot on campus you are starting an adventure like no other, but so are your parents, your siblings, your close friends, and familiar faces from back home. You are opening the door to a world of change. The people who have been there for you your whole life are also opening that same door of change, but it leads to a world in which you are no longer just a hollar away.
11 Reasons to Consider Returning to College as an Adult
Director of 皇家华人 Fox University鈥檚 Adult Degree Programs, Jennie Harrop, addresses why joining the Adult Degree Program will will exceed expectations, and why it's nothing to be feared.