Moriah Dreisbach hails from Fairfax, Virgina, and is still adjusting to living in the South.
“The culture [here] is definitely different. It’s been an experience, but it’s been fun,” said Dreisbach, freshman nursing major. “It’s weird when you go to a store and the cashier will strike up a conversation [with you]. You don’t expect that where I’m from. I think that’s really cool.”
Though Union is a 14-hour drive from Fairfax, Dreisbach heard of Union through her father, who knew some Union professors. When she visited campus, she said she felt “this was where the Lord was calling me.”
Dreisbach’s parents, who are medical missionaries, inspired her to pursue a nursing career. She also was exposed to the nursing field through medical classes at her high school.
“I definitely want to use nursing on short-term mission trips, though I don’t want to be a full-time missionary,” Dreisbach said. “I know there are so many options out there and I’m excited to see all the different things you can do with nursing.”
Dresibach is a member of Union’s cheerleading squad, which she was interested in after cheering for four years in high school.
“We have a really good time together as a team,” Dresibach said. “It’s a time of fellowship too. We pray after every meeting, so if someone’s going through something really hard, you have that support there as well as with your friends.”
Those memories with the cheer squad and Union basketball games are among Dreisbach’s favorite memories thus far at Union.
“I also love ‘Lest We Forget,’” she said. “Whenever the whole Union community comes together, I really like those moments.”
Dreisbach’s favorite part about being a freshman is the community in the Heritage Residence Complexes.
“In Heritage, you can just walk outside and people are doing crazy, fun things. It’s really entertaining,” she said. “That’s something I like about college – you live next to and with your friends. You can just walk outside and you’re at your friends house.”
Dreisbach said her least favorite thing is the questions freshman have that continue even after the first semester. However, Dreisbach said she appreciates people like resident advisors and LifeGroup leaders, who have helped her answer those questions.
Dreisbach has this advice for her fellow Unionites: get out there and meet people.
“The community is what makes Union such a special place,” she said. “I’ve seen people that are always out meeting new people, and they’re the people that really seem to have the best experience.”
