Last summer, 22-year-old senior marketing major Allison Hurlow experienced the opportunity of a lifetime. A change from her usual stint working at Michigan summer camps, Allison hopped on a plane to California and spent ten weeks as an intern for Lexus, gaining first-hand marketing experience in their national advertising department. She helped edit brochures, went on photo shoots, and participated in the step-by-step process of ad campaigns. She had such a good experience that she’s going back again this summer.

During Allison’s internship at Lexus, she not only gained invaluable job experience and made connections that will springboard her future career, but she also had the chance to put her faith into action.

“Working at Lexus was a great experience for me,” Allison explains. “I’ve worked at Camp Au Sable and F.L.A.G. Camp, but this was different. I was put on the other side of the country without my friends. I had roommates who were non-Adventists. I was the only one who went to church. I had to use my faith practically. When my friends would go out and ask me, ‘Why aren’t you coming to the club with us?’ or ‘Why don’t you drink?’ I had the opportunity to explain my faith.”

Having lived in Berrien Springs since she was four years old, Allison’s California adventure was definitely a step outside her comfort zone. But she did not leave unprepared or unwilling to face the challenges that lay in front of her. An honors student, Allison does well in school and has learned strong work ethics from professors who encourage her to do her very best—from marketing classes that challenged her study skills and creativity, to religion classes that encouraged her to know the "Why?" behind her beliefs.

Allison’s strong work ethic has extended outside the classroom, as demonstrated by her dedication to help enrich Andrews, both socially and spiritually. Her long list of student leadership positions include titles such as Andrews University Student Association (AUSA) senator, AUSA Public Relations and Social Recreation director, program coordinator for Higher Ground collegiate Sabbath school, and events coordinator for the Social Recreation office.

Allison remembers her junior year as a particularly busy one, juggling a heavy class load while working with both Higher Ground and AUSA. “My friends didn’t really see me much that year,” she comments. The experiences she had that year taught invaluable lessons and skills she was able to apply at Lexus and in the classroom. “Working for AUSA as Social Recreation director really taught me a lot about working hard, and getting your work done ahead of time. I’ve learned a lot about time management and learning to say ‘No.’ I used to be a 'Yes' person. I had to set boundaries and prioritize, and learn that things will turn out OK when other people are working, too.”

This year, Allison is keeping busy working for the Social Recreation office as an events coordinator, organizing popular events such as the annual beginning-of-the-school-year icebreaker Almost Anything Goes, a concert by contemporary Christian artists, Selah, and the spring break diving trip to Cozumel.

These leadership experiences also brought her closer to God. An independent person, she often stepped out on her own, saying, “I can do this, God,” but only to realize she really couldn’t do it on her own. “It was a good lesson in humility,” Allison notes.

As a senior, Allison will soon leave Andrews, stepping out once again beyond the borders of her comfort zone. But armed with her faith, skills, and experiences she had as a student, she’s more than ready to get out there and change the world.

“My way of changing the world is one step at a time. I want to live my life and have people look at me and wonder what’s different. ‘How can she handle these situations and be OK when these things are going on?’ I want others to see Christ living in me everyday: at work, volunteering in the community, [and] through personal relationships.”

Seek Knowledge. Affirm Faith. Change the World. That is Andrews' goal for each student who walks on campus. Upon graduation, it is our goal students will not be the same as when they entered: their knowledge will have increased, their faith affirmed and strengthened, and their hearts filled with a passion to make a difference in the world around them.

Beverly Stout is the University Relations media relations coordinator.