ALEX GENNARO | guest writer
LINDSAY JONES | guest writer
The Common Day of Learning’s theme “Teaching Knowledge and Good Judgment” was impactful to the majority of students who attended the event. This year marks APU’s 17th Annual William E. and Ernest L. Boyer Common Day of Learning. The event has been going on since 1993. The event was held in various locations on West Campus. Over 200 speakers came from around the country and hundreds more students attended.
There were several Keynote speakers at this year’s event. These included Joni Eareckson Tada, the founder and CEO of Joni and Friends (JAF) International Disability Center. MGM Executive Davy Liu who has worked on many Disney movies also spoke about his new outreach to children.
“I saw Davy Liu speak,” senior marketing major Allyson Weede said. “He was really interesting because he has real world experience in the field that I want to go into, which is animation.”
Many of the speakers this year had real world experiences, making their presentations more relatable to students.
“He talked about his work experience and how everything related back to this faith. He wrote books for children, which I found really inspirational. He really is bringing hope and faith to our generation,” Weede said.
This common theme of humanity and giving back was prevalent throughout the entire event.
“I got so much out of Joni Eareckson Tada session,” senior business major Rick Myra said. “She was an incredible speaker and had a powerful message. She has done so much with her life and has perpetuated such hope and such a great Christian example for others of her perseverance and strength in the Lord.”
“It was such an exciting environment,” senior and CDL speaker Ruthie Stone added. “I feel like we really got through to students about the essence of humanity, which is giving back the blessings that we have.”
Many students embraced the idea of giving back to others and taking a day to hear about concerns going on around the world.
“I think it’s a good idea,” freshman youth ministry major Brett Kawanami said. “To take a break from focusing only on ourselves or our subject in school. Instead, we got to spend a day focusing on other issues.”
In this season of doubt and fear among Americans, especially for college students entering into the work force, this year’s event encouraged many students to have hope and utilize the gifts God has given them.
With such powerful messages from people who have suffered greatly and succeeded greatly, students had the opportunity to learn a lot about God’s faithfulness and provision in their lives.
“This year’s was the best ever and I got so much encouragement just from attending the session that I did,” Weede said.
