My Best For His Glory

Daniel Perez

Daniel Perez didn’t think he could attend Southwestern Adventist University because he felt he couldn’t afford the tuition. Four years later, he’s set to graduate from Southwestern as 2015 senior class president, a position that has taught him lessons in humility and responsibility.

“I always wanted to attend SWAU,” says Daniel Perez, senior theology major. “But I didn’t have the funds to cover the tuition. After a while I got a call from a recruiter encouraging me to attend the University. I prayed that if this was His will, I would go and become a pastor and well, God opened doors and here I am.”

Perez is from Weslaco, a small city in south Texas, where he attended Valley Grande Adventist Academy. Even in his high school years, he knew ministry was his calling.

“In high school I had been really into ministry, especially because I was the senior class pastor,” says Perez. “The more I did things for the class and at my church, the more I saw myself in that role.

“People had always told me that they saw me as a pastor in the future. The fact that people started telling me what to do annoyed me and I strayed away a little from my calling. I actually attended community college for a semester and studied to be an English teacher. Then I came to SWAU the second semester of my freshman year and I went back into theology.”

As his senior year approached, Perez was nominated to be the 2015 senior class president. He didn’t expect to be elected by his classmates, but God gave him one more surprise.

“The Lord humbled me when I found out I was senior class president,” says Perez. “I didn’t know what to do or how to do it. The weight of responsibility was heavy, but God gave me an incredible staff to work with.”

“As senior class president, I have lots of responsibilities, but they are four major ones,” he says. “First is the class memorabilia; this is an object that the class votes on and class members receive. Second is the class gift; past classes have given monuments or scholarships to the school. Third is the senior banquet. This year, instead of having a banquet we are going on a retreat. And finally is graduation, involving everything from who’s speaking to hearing what the class wants in the graduation services and trying to make it possible.”

In addition to his responsibilities as class president, Perez works as a tutor in the ESL program and has a job with the custodial department. He finds that balancing his working hours with his schoolwork is a crucial aspect in his life.

“Finding balance has been hard since being elected class president,” says Perez. “But I have to remind myself that God comes first, classes come second and everything else will fall into place. Also I keep a ‘Wall of Responsibility’ in my room. I use thumbtacks or sticky notes and map out everything that is due. This is the easiest way for me to remember all I have to do, and not forget anything.”

After graduation, Daniel Perez wants to become a youth pastor or leader and serve youth who are struggling in life. Currently he serves as student pastor at the Alvarado Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church.

“I’ve always had the burden to work with youth,” says Perez. “I know God will use me wherever he needs me, and wherever that is I will always do my best for His glory, not mine.”

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