“The Missing Factor Was God”

Casey Lao decided to pursue nursing at Southwestern when she found something here that she couldn’t find elsewhere.

Sometimes in life we have to make tough decisions, from choosing whom we’re going to marry to deciding where we want to live. However choosing where you want to attend college is a pretty tough and important decision as well.

That was the case for Casey Lao, junior nursing major. Casey attended Valley Grove Academy in Weslaco, Texas. After graduating from high school, Lao had to make one of the tough decision most students have to make: where to go to college.

Lao always knew about Southwestern, however she didn’t want to follow the stereotype of all her friends and go there. Lao wanted to explore something new.

“I wanted to get out of Texas and experience something different,” says Lao.

Lao wanted to attend a college for the right reasons. Lao wanted to find a university with a purpose and focus that was going to impact her life and education.

During the summer of 2013, Lao had the opportunity to attend a nursing internship at John Hopkins University, one of the main colleges Lao was considering attending. “It was an amazing experience. The professors were so kind and the campus was beautiful. I fell in love with the school,” says Lao.

Although John Hopkins was a great experience for Lao, she felt like something was missing. She could not quite put her finger on it until she came and visited Southwestern. That missing factor was God.

“As soon as I stepped onto Southwestern I could see the difference in atmosphere,” says Lao. “I loved how God was the center of everything. I could see the reflection of Jesus in every single person that I met on my first day here.”

Lao’s visit to Southwestern made an immediate impact on her decision of where to attend college. She finally chose Southwestern due to its beautiful people, campus, and focus.

“The fact that God was the center of Southwestern’s education, made it a super easy decision to choose Southwestern,” said Lao.

As a current junior nursing major, Casey is forever grateful for the opportunity and the decision she was able to make of attending Southwestern. “It was one of the best decisions of my life. If I had the chance to make the same decision again, I would,” says Lao.

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