“It Just Fit to Come to Southwestern”

Sophomore pre-physical therapy major Alex Loewen finds that Southwestern is the right place for him to be right now.

Sometimes God lets bad things happen to you in order for you to experience better things. Sometimes those events involve major decisions, such as what you may want to do with the rest of your life.

That’s a big one for college students. Some find the decision easy, while others struggle. Alex Loewen, sophomore pre-physical therapy major, decided what he wanted to do when he received first-hand knowledge of it.

Loewen was playing basketball when he landed on someone’s foot, causing Loewen’s ankle to twist, tearing three ligaments on the side. Loewen’s doctor referred him to the Michael Johnson Performance – Athletic Training Center for physical therapy.

“Going through physical therapy there made me interested in it,” says Loewen. “I watched them work. I saw what they were doing, how they were doing it, and it looked interesting.”

Loewen applied to different schools but in the end, Southwestern won out. “My parents had both gone to Southwestern so I’d come to Keene and visit ever since I was little,” says Loewen. “I’ve always liked it. It just fit to come to Southwestern.”

Now as a student, Loewen appreciates all the different facets of what it is to be a Southwestern student. “Back at my old church, my youth group was pretty small—four to be exact—so we never really did vespers,” says Loewen. “Here, there are so many things you can do. I’ve been on praise teams, I’ve gone on outreaches, inreaches. It’s all just readily available. Southwestern has definitely helped me grow both spiritually and mentally.”

Loewen also thinks that his professors have definitely made a difference. “My professors have a big impact in my spiritual life too because they all have devotionals at the beginning of class,” says Loewen. “Which is awesome, because they bring different aspects and perspectives of God that I don’t really think of myself. I end up seeing God differently because of them.”

As a pre-physical therapy major, Loewen will spend one more year here and then go on to either Loma Linda or Andrews as a part of the pre-physical therapy program that Southwestern offers. “I feel like my teachers are preparing me for the physical therapy program,” says Loewen. “My classes are hard, but the professors make sure I understand the material. It’s great preparation for all the classes I’m going to be taking in the program.”

From the spiritual and mental aspect to the residence hall life, Loewen enjoys everything Southwestern has to offer. “I’m definitely glad I came here,” says Loewen. “I’ve visited other schools, but there’s just something about Southwestern that I really like. Whether it is because of the family atmosphere, the caring professors, or different activities offered on campus, I don’t know. But I do know I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”

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