Westmont Magazine The Westmont Fund is all about students

Marshall Pingle ’14 takes his education seriously. “Professor Chapman taught me that only a few people can attend Westmont, so we have a responsibility to go out into the world and behave intelligently,” he says. “I know I’m equipped to do critical and creative thinking, and I’m grateful. I didn’t see myself as a student in high school, but I do now. My professors graciously emphasized learning for the sake of learning. I’ve loved Westmont. You can’t get away with much when you live in a small community and people care about you, challenge you and want you to grow.”

Generous financial aid helped Marshall attend Westmont, including an Orfalea Family Scholarship, a diversity award (his mother is Native American) and a Westmont grant. He belongs to the Intercultural Organization and serves as a diversity liaison, helping students feel at home on campus.

An English major, he went to London with the Westmont Theatre Mayterm in 2013 and spent a semester at Westmont in San Francisco, where he interned at Made in a Free World, a small non-profit organization working against human trafficking.

During spring break this year, he traveled to Utah with the Loving Our Religious Neighbors Club to engage in conversations with members of the Latter-day Saints church. “I learned to articulate the differences between evangelical Christianity and Mormonism, and my relationship with God grew,” he says.

After his summer jobs at Westmont end, Marshall plans to look for work. He hopes to attend graduate school one day and earn a master’s degree in social work. “I enjoy building relationships with people and seeing them transition to a better and happier lifestyle and place,” he says. “I want to help people.”

Your gifts to the Westmont Fund give scholars like Marshall the opportunity to make a positive impact in our world for God’s Kingdom. Go to www.westmont.edu/giving to donate and meet other students.