Student finds family & faith
Samantha Downey is a psychology major from Redondo Beach, California, and was heavily recruited to play collegiate softball. She chose LCU because of the new challenge and a change of scene.
Meeting the softball team allayed one apprehension Downey had: “I knew I’d be far from my family, but I’m still going to have family here.”
While playing softball, Downey sustained an injury that caused her to reevaluate why she came to Louisiana Christian University.
Appreciating the close-knit environment and “homelike atmosphere” of Louisiana Christian University, Downey said her initial visit to the campus inspired her. “I fell in love with LCU because of the one-on-one connection students have with professors.”
“Before I came to LCU, I had no relationship with God. I didn’t even know you could have a relationship with God,” she said. “My mom and dad believed in God but I never knew anything about that.”
“And I didn’t understand why things happened,” she said.
With a history of bad experiences with churches, Downey had difficulty even entering one. “But when I came here, my best friend — and she’s my roommate — she kinda introduced me to Christ. And the first day I went to her and I was like, I need a Bible.”
Today, Downey attends church with her college friends. “It’s easy because all of my friends have their lives centered around Christ. It’s just easy to be in that environment. Everyone I know is just helping me to learn more.”
Downey attended a camp sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where she made her “big decision. It was just, it was amazing and empowering and you feel vulnerable, but like, vulnerable in a good way. And it was just that I saw everyone around me and I knew I wanted to be a part of that,” she recalls.
“It was January 20 I think I decided that I wanted to start my walk with Christ, and it’s been amazing,” she said.
“I had no idea that I would be brought to LCU by God. Like, I didn’t think that was a thing. But I thought I was just coming for softball and I ended up getting hurt in softball and so that wasn’t really my outlet anymore,” she said.
“I was brought to LCU because I was lost and I needed saving. God brought me here and I truly believe in my heart that I am here because I needed to have a relationship with God. I have that now, so I’m just continuing my walk with Christ every day.”
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