Addison Garcia's Story

I came to HSU because I was recruited for basketball, but I stayed here because of the love of my coaches and professors. Every day, they show me the love of the Lord through their actions.

At Hardin-Simmons, I’m learning how to balance degrees in Spanish and Political Science, but I am also learning how to integrate my faith into these fields. After I graduate college, I want to move to Honduras as a missionary. My Spanish degree is teaching me both the language and the culture of the people in Honduras. My political science degree will equip me to minister to the people of Honduras as a teacher or a government worker. A lot of people get great educations in political science at big state schools. At Hardin-Simmons, I am getting the same quality education, but also training in my faith.

I experience faith-inspired learning more often than I realized. Sometimes I take for granted things like learning the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish or closing class in prayer. My coaches pray for me and genuinely care about me.

Last semester, I had to have emergency surgery during finals week. My professors showed me the grace and love of the Lord during that time. They all offered to help me in any way they could. My professors have modeled to me what it looks like to reflect the love of Christ.

I have developed relationships with the faculty and staff that I wouldn’t have been able to form at bigger schools. I have also made great friendships with my teammates. I consider them to be more than my teammates—I think of them as my family. They are the people who I can call any time to share my struggles and my victories. They support me just like a family does.

I came to school with institutional scholarships, but I was also given an endowed scholarship for my performance as a Spanish major. I feel very thankful and humbled by this scholarship because someone personally made an investment in me. These scholarships allow me to pursue my degrees and achieve my goals.

Hardin-Simmons is a place where I feel like I have been able to find myself and become the woman of God that He has made me to be. It’s a place where friendships are made. It’s a place where there is so much room for growth, whether that be academic growth, or spiritual growth or personal growth.