“Freely ye received, freely give”

This is the Pepperdine motto, tied closely to its religious roots and yet, completely non-religious, non-denominational at the same time. In our educational pursuits, receiving freely of other’s time, energy, dedication to our learning, and collaborative, sometimes selfless, efforts; we are reminded of this motto, of the energy we freely received. With that in mind, it feels like it is part of the MBA responsibility to give back, freely accepting our responsibility to our Pepperdine community and the surrounding public.

One such obvious occasion is clearly portrayed by Challenge 4 Charity. This MBA-student led organization raises money and accumulates volunteer hours for three local charities: Special Olympics Santa Clarita, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, and Children’s Lifesaving Foundation. Pepperdine’s chapter has been working all year in the pursuit of giving, culminating in the “Run the Waves 5k” on Zuma Beach on March 12th. The best part about being a part of this event is that, unlike a normal charity where the overhead takes a huge chunk out of the proceeds, because the staff is 100% volunteers, there is little fundraising that does not benefit these charities.

In an effort to raise awareness for this special part of the Pepperdine experience, I urge students and faculty to volunteer, run the race, give to Challenge4Charity, or attend future events. It is clear that upon being alumni of Pepperdine, corporate social responsibility and community involvement are important parts of the learned psyche going forward. It starts here and it starts with small moments where you can experience the joy of giving. At a recent panel, an alumni spoke to the networking experience and said “Give to give, don’t give to get.” This resonated for me as a member of the Pepperdine community because even in our human interactions, to maintain strong relationships, we are taught to give to give and respect the cycle of reciprocity that comes from these interactions.