Name: Meg Rouse
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, California
Major: Art with an Illustration/New Pictures emphasis, Entrepreneurship and Creative Writing minors)
Year of graduation: 2022
Activities/clubs at SPU: Student employee at Unicom, member and contributor to student art journal Lingua, publicist for community service program Latreia, regular volunteer for STUB events and hosting high school students on campus
What made you decide to come to SPU?
I first heard about SPU from a family friend who graduated from SPU and recommended I visit the school. I later toured SPU as a pit-stop on a family road trip my junior year of high school. At the time I was only looking at schools in California, but I loved the campus location and felt very welcomed by my admissions counselor.
As an introverted high schooler, I always felt awkward when I had to talk with counselors, but she helped me picture myself at SPU and got me really excited about college. I noticed a Seattle postcard on her desk and told her how much I liked it, and when I got home after vacation that exact postcard was waiting for me in the mail with a note saying she hoped I would consider applying to SPU! Needless to say, I applied, and after meeting so many great people at the Distinguished Scholars Competition, I knew SPU was where I wanted to be.
What are you most thankful for at SPU?
I am thankful for my awesome roommate, who was randomly assigned freshman year, and for all of the other wonderful people I’ve met through the honors program, on Latreia, and all the fun dorm and school-wide events.
What makes SPU unique (for you)?
SPU is a Christian campus, but it is not stifling. A lot of the other Christian colleges I applied to during my college search were much stricter with their chapel policies and had a much more homogenous student body when it came to faith. At SPU, the faculty are all Christian, and there are many different chapels, groups, and service opportunities available for students, but they are not required. Because of this, I’ve met people coming from many different faith backgrounds, or people who are not religious at all, and I’ve been able to grow by interacting with those who possess different beliefs than I do.
If I choose to partake in what SPU has to offer in regards to faith, it does not feel like a burden or something I am being forced to do, but rather something that I get to explore of my own free will.
Your best advice for SPU students, or potential SPU students?
Try new things! I know that’s what everyone tells you over and over again, but it’s true. Some of my closest friends and the most fun I’ve had since coming to college has been from stepping out of my comfort zone. Not every new experience is great, but it’s worth trying new things anyway, as you just might find that one new hobby or friend.
What are you most passionate about here at SPU?
I am passionate about using art as a means of communication and a way to interact with people on campus, whether that means through fun projects made in my illustration classes, posters for Latreia, or personal projects for Lingua.
Your plans for the future?
I don’t know exactly where my future will take me, but I know I want a career in which I can use what I’ve learned from my major and minors here at SPU. I am very interested in narrative and storytelling, and would love to use my artistic skills to create graphic novels or create storyboards and concept art that will engage with audiences of all ages.