Sometimes our education can open the doors to possibilities we had never previously considered. For Camille Pedersen (17), PLNU was the catalyst for a career she had never imagined herself pursuing.
After graduating from the School of Theology & Christian Ministry, Pedersen went on to pursue her graduate education at Duke Divinity School where she was challenged to grow and explore her faith in new ways. She eagerly returned to California after her time on the East Coast and now serves as a chaplain resident at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego.
Her current role has also created a learning environment where Pedersen gets to explore how to best provide for those who need her in critical moments. She said, “I get to practice what I preach and show up for people, providing the emotional, spiritual support and being there for patients in whatever ways they need us to.”
Looking back, she shared the ways her younger self never thought something like this was possible: “Point Loma showed me what was available; I went through this journey of discovering women in ministry because I had never seen a female pastor.”
When she came to PLNU, the new environment and opportunities available to her were an adjustment at first. “Freshman year, I struggled with whether women could be pastors, but I was never alone in those challenges with my faith. My professors invested in me and encouraged me to believe seminary was possible.”