As he was making his way to campus for Move-In Day, Seth Richards (’27) would tell you he was nervous—like felt-sick-to-his-stomach nervous— because although he was excited about coming to Lipscomb, he didn’t know any other students. He was wondering if he made the right decision.
Seth’s admission counselor had connected him to his roommate, but they hadn’t actually met before. Based on their conversations, they decided to live together because of their similar interests. When he finally met his roommate, Mateo, Seth knew he had found a friend and soon discovered a larger community on his floor in High Rise Hall.
“I couldn’t ask for a better roommate, and all the guys on my floor are really awesome too,” he says.
After Move-In and the start of QuestWeek, Lipscomb’s weeklong welcome experience for new students, he realized he had nothing to worry about.
“All the freshmen and all the transfers were in the same boat that I was in,” Seth recalls. They’re all brand new, but the Quest Team didn’t treat us like we were brand new. They treated us like we already belong to this community.”
Now Seth has settled into life at Lipscomb and finds himself very busy as a member of the Admission Tour Team, President’s Student Advisory Council, Pickleball Club, Linedancing Club, Lippy Lunatics student section and an intramural softball team—all in addition to his academic responsibilities and pursuit of his vocation.
And Seth is determined to discover what God is calling him to do for the sake of the world. Through freshman chapel, the Center for Vocational Discovery and the encouragement of faculty, Seth is finding out what that looks like for him.
The Center for Vocational Discovery is evidence that this community “is set on helping you find where you’re supposed to be,” Seth says. It’s just a posture of service.”
And that close-knit, service-oriented community is what drew him to Lipscomb during his college search.
“I don’t want to be just another person. I’m not chasing fame or anything like that. I just want to be in a position where I feel like I’m doing something that’s making a difference. That’s why I picked Lipscomb.”
“Feel At Home Here”
“I didn’t expect a university to go so far out of its way to make me feel at home here. QuestWeek is a whole week so that you can be welcomed in properly. I think that’s really awesome.”
Finding His Way to Make a Difference
A Christ-centered community
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Learning in an academic environment will encourage your faith. “Being a Christian college is a bonus, growing my faith, growing not only spiritually, but mentally, academically. That was a big deciding factor.”
The value of a small college experience
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During his college search, Seth realized the value of a small community and found the right fit at Lipscomb. “The biggest thing I was looking for in a college, I didn't want to be in a class with 200 people, and I wanted to feel like I can make a difference. I wanted to feel like I wasn't just a number on a paper…I feel that way at Lipscomb.”
A shared pursuit
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Seth appreciates the unity he feels on campus with his peers as they all strive to find their calling in the world. “At Lipscomb, we have different majors, different things we want to do in life, but the majority of students share the same goal of finding their vocation and using that for the good of serving others. So I feel like we all work together in that.”