During the college search process, Riley Robertson (’27) admits that she had a lot of anxiety because of the pressure she felt to make the right decision mixed with hearing everyone’s opinions.
“I was honestly dreading going to college because I just felt like I'm never going to make the right decision,” she recalls.
Even though she felt the weight of the college search, Riley knew the only thing she could do was pray through the process and ask for peace as she tried to make a good choice.
“Decision time came and all my friends had decided; everyone knew where they were going,” she remembers. “But I just kept praying. I was not going to rush it."
The answer to her prayers started to become clear at Presidential Scholars Weekend. Riley made a connection with the person who would eventually become her roommate, and she was inspired by her meetings with faculty from the biology department who emphasized the importance of integrating faith and science and the opportunity to participate in research as an undergrad. So she made the choice to follow in her father’s footsteps and attend Lipscomb, and she hasn’t looked back.
When Riley got to Lipscomb, she was ready to get involved in campus life and hit the ground running. She started by founding the Tennis Club with a friend, volunteering as a peer mentor for the IDEAL program and joining the Honors College. And she quickly found community in her residence hall.
“Living in a dorm is awesome,” Riley says. “Elam Hall is wonderful. It’s like all of our best friends are living on the same hallway or at least the same building.”
Now that she has settled into life at Lipscomb, Riley feels affirmed that she had made the right decision.
“Choosing Lipscomb was the best decision I've ever made in my whole life. The Lord had so much in store for me that I couldn't even imagine.”
“The Absolute Best Time”
“I have had the absolute best time. I couldn’t even imagine the friendships I’ve made and just how good of a fit it is for me. Lipscomb completely blew me away.”
Pathways to Pursue Her Passions
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A Christ-centered education
One of the things that attracted Riley to Lipscomb was the opportunity to study the sciences in an academic community that would encourage her faith. “I could learn science from anywhere, but it means nothing to me if it doesn’t revolve around my faith.”
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Volunteering and serving her community
Riley volunteers with Lipscomb’s IDEAL program, which provides learning opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities who want a college experience. “Getting involved on campus not only gives you opportunities to connect with people but also to get plugged into ways to spend your time…If I wasn’t volunteering with IDEAL, what else would I be doing? Scrolling on my phone or something?”
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Rallying the Herd
As evidenced by her purple and gold overalls, Riley is a proud Bison, and she says you should embrace the community when you make your college choice. “If you're coming to Lipscomb, get excited about it, wear the merch and be proud of it. Come to campus ready to be a Lipscomb student and become a Bison. Take pride in that and really get excited because it’s going to be great.”
More Resources For Juniors