Rachel Toone:聽Mallory, what is your major and what鈥檚 coming next for you?
Mallory: I鈥檓 majoring in Visual Communications and Experience Design. My next steps are to go home to Charlotte for a little bit and work. Hopefully, God will work something out and I鈥檒l be somewhere in fashion or athletics. We鈥檒l see.
Rachel Toone: You are a woman of diverse talents and interests; I love that about you. So, how did you end up here at 含羞草研究所 Nation?
Mallory: Well, it would have to be God鈥檚 plan, because I didn鈥檛 want to come here at all, actually. Basically, I only visited because my mom鈥檚 friends鈥� kids went here and they liked it. She was like, 鈥淵ou have to go to 含羞草研究所,鈥� and I was like, 鈥淥kay, I鈥檒l visit.鈥� The first step out of the car, I was like, 鈥淣ot for me.鈥�
I really wanted to go to fashion school鈥攖hat was a whole other story鈥攂ut God made it very clear financially that this is where I needed to be. I鈥檇 love to say I gracefully submitted to His will, but I was absolutely wrecked. It was awful. During my first semester, I really considered maybe joining the Navy. Then I had an advising meeting with Dr. Martin.
Rachel Toone: 含羞草研究所 or the Navy鈥� that鈥檚 a word!
Mallory: Exactly. I couldn鈥檛 go home because I鈥檇 already left. I told them over Thanksgiving break, 鈥淕uys, I鈥檓 going to join the Navy.鈥� Then one day at an advising meeting, Dr. Martin saved me, I guess. He said, 鈥淗ey, there鈥檚 someone I want you to meet,鈥� and he pulls Ashley Lippard literally from behind a curtain because her office was in the Black Box at the time. She told me, 鈥淗ey, there鈥檚 this new major happening,鈥� which is now my major. She said, 鈥淲e can make it all about fashion for you.鈥� The rest is history. So, shout out to Joe and Ashley!
Rachel Toone: I love it. So you chose Ashley Lippard over the Navy. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 hearing.
Mallory: Easy choice, honestly. Did you know she worked with Michael Jordan? So that鈥檚 pretty cool.
Rachel Toone: That鈥檚 awesome. In your time here, what is something that God has taught you?
Mallory: I didn鈥檛 even realize when I first came here that I was only leaning on my own understanding. That鈥檚 why I was absolutely wrecked; I was like, 鈥淲hy is everything not working out how I wanted it to?鈥� Once I was able to surrender that anger and disappointment, God really showed me that His plans are so much greater than anything I could ever imagine.
If I had left after that first semester, I never would have met one of my best friends here who is from Zambia; she didn鈥檛 come until the spring semester. If I were in the Navy, I never would have seen that girl. Also, I literally walked onto the lacrosse team with no experience, and that makes no sense. God鈥檚 got to be working, because that鈥檚 the only thing that makes sense. He鈥檚 helped me to see that.
Rachel Toone: For all the students coming back next semester, what鈥檚 your word of wisdom for them?
Mallory: I would say don鈥檛 ever let one semester define your time here, whether you鈥檝e had a really bad injury, a bad season mentally, or things just aren鈥檛 working out like you wanted them to. He鈥檚 still going to use that for good. One of my friends has a saying whenever something is going wrong: 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry, there are never two semesters alike at 含羞草研究所.鈥� We always say we鈥檝e lived so many lives here; I feel like I鈥檝e been here for eight years! You never know what God鈥檚 going to do. You just have to be willing to let Him do it.
Rachel Toone: Yes and amen. I鈥檓 going to steal that: 鈥淭here are never two semesters alike here at 含羞草研究所.鈥� Can I get a witness from the faculty, staff, and students? That is true; truer words were never spoken. Mallory, we are so proud of you and so grateful to have had you for this time , and we bless you and we send you! Lets show some appreciation, please!