Friendships and Faith
When it came time to make plans after high school, Maci Avila was planning on going into the military. But once she started to get scholarship offers, those plans changed.
A junior from Henderson, Nevada, Maci wanted to find a place where she could participate in both wrestling and powerlifting. “I had a lot of schools that were offering just wrestling or just powerlifting, and there were very few that I could do both. At Midland, the coaches were the most flexible and supportive of me doing them both for as long as I could.”
Another reason why Maci chose Midland University was because she wanted to go somewhere where she had the opportunity to grow in her faith.
“My deciding factor was I went to a wrestling practice, and afterward, they do a prayer every time to close it out. They had me say the prayer, and I feel like at that moment I knew Midland was where I wanted to be.”
While no longer able to wrestle because of a shoulder injury, Maci loves Midland’s powerlifting community and is grateful for the friendships and connections she has made through the sport. Other than powerlifting, Maci is a Cru leader.
At Midland, a student’s journey highlights the importance of community and personal growth. Amidst the supportive environment, faith and friendship play pivotal roles in shaping new aspirations. Maci said she loves how many friends she has made at Midland since it is a smaller campus.
“I’ve made so many more friends here that care about me as a whole person. It’s not like high school where you feel like you have to act like somebody you’re not to be cool.”
She also likes how easy it is to find help on campus, whether that be through the student advisors, teachers, or other faculty members.
“I feel like I’ve had more close connections with professors at Midland than I’ve had anywhere else.”
Maci likes how all the professors really care about their students and how easy it is to have one-on-one time. One professor who stood out to Maci was Molly Zimmer, Associate Professor of English.
“I loved any time I could talk about my faith in writing because it made it more fun for me. She would always find ways to connect faith to the assignment.”
Maci was originally a Strength and Conditioning major. However, after two years, she realized that wasn’t the right fit for her. She decided to become a Business Administration major this year because she developed a new passion for sales and because her mom works in sales. After college, she plans on working in sales for a company that deals with orthopedics.
“School has never come easy to me, and I’ve always had to work really hard for it. It’s (sales) a lot of hard work, a lot of discipline, and you have to have an outgoing personality. I think sales is my new avenue for those reasons.”
Maci feels that Midland has helped her learn that she has to reach out to people more and have people help her rather than always being the person who gives help.
“In high school, I was used to being the leader and always helping others. When I came here I realized I don’t need to have it together all the time. There are friends that really care about me that will pick me up when I need it.”
Maci Avila is a junior Business Administration major from Henderson, Nevada.
