Spotlight
Trusting in God’s Guiding Hand in Personal and Career Aspirations
Consistently striving to recognize God’s hand in his life, psychology major Lucas Martin (‘27) feels strongly that he was guided to attend Southern Virginia University after his mission and is seeking to learn the most he can while there.
“The presence of the gospel in every aspect of the school was so important to me as a returned missionary,” said Martin. “Seeing how Christ was the central focus of so much that goes on here was important. I could tell how it would make a difference in my life if I was in an environment that encouraged me to prioritize Christ and his gospel like SVU does.”
Not long after returning home from his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Porto Alegre South Brazil, Martin toured Southern Virginia University and attended a university forum featuring Elder Robert L. Millet, a senior missionary instructor at the Southern Virginia Institute of Religion, and felt a growing confirmation that he needed to attend.
“I could feel the Spirit at SVU,” said Martin. “I was reminded of how special this place is, how beautiful it is, and just how strong the spirit is. After pondering for a little bit, I felt very strongly that the Lord wanted me to come here, and so I made my decision!”
Since coming to Southern Virginia, Martin has joined the football team playing as a linebacker and throws javelin with the track team. He also works in game operations, where he attends athletic events and works with the university’s athletic staff.
“Southern Virginia gives students a lot of opportunities to get involved and be leaders on campus,” explained Martin. “I have been able to work on starting clubs and organizations, helping me to develop important life skills like proactivity, organization, and leadership skills. I think that these skills will translate well into real life where we will be leaders in our jobs, in our families, and in the church.”
With his love of sports, Martin is a psychology major with plans to pursue sports and performance psychology to dive deeper in the study of the power of the mind and its relationship with the body to develop self control and personal discipline.
“I want to see how we can take our brain and train and develop it so we can be better in athletic performance or even just in life in general,” said Martin. “How can we take ourselves to that next level? I think in line with the gospel too, if we can really take ourselves to that next level of self mastery and spiritual mastery, we can accomplish amazing things that our body might not think possible.”