One of the best ways to truly understand a school’s impact is to ask students to tell their own stories. Join us in getting to know Crowell students and recent alumni and how they have been transformed — by professors, by fellow students, by God — during their time at Biola in our series, Character and Career: Stories of Transformation.

Born and raised in upstate New York, recent alumna Jasmine Mullally (’21) was a freshman at Gordon College near Boston when a Biola University faculty member spoke at Gordon’s chapel. She had almost decided to attend UCLA as a freshman, so she was eager for another chance at California, and decided to fly out to see Biola’s campus. It was love at first sight.

“I absolutely loved what Biola stood for,” said Mullally. “How their students, faculty and leadership made it clear that God is the center of all they say and do. I immediately knew this was where I was meant to be.”

But after transferring to Biola for her sophomore year, she came down with homesickness.

“I loved it, but I was incredibly homesick,” she said. “I allowed my longing for comfort to consume my first semester at Biola, and before I knew it, I was begging to transfer back to Gordon, and I did, right after the semester. I regretted it instantly. I had given up on Biola prematurely.”

One semester later, she transferred back to Biola to begin her junior year, and just a few weeks ago, she graduated with a degree in Business Administration degree (concentration in Management) and minors in both chemistry and biblical studies. She spent a few moments with us to tell us her Biola story.

You were a business major and a chemistry minor. How did those two things fit together?

It’s definitely a unique combination! I had intended to become a pediatric oncologist so I started with biology. I found the topics interesting, but I was just stressed out all the time. Upon talking to my parents, mentors and friends, I decided to take a couple of business classes and I absolutely loved them. I felt like I was using the gifts God has given me. Business is fascinating but also practical. I learned incredible life skills — communication, presentation skills, etc. — as well as finance and analytics skills that will be extremely beneficial regardless of the career I pursue.

There are actually many ways in which business and chemistry can fit together, like medical management or medical malpractice law, which are actually two career interests of mine!

The most challenging part of the switch to business management has been learning how to “rewire” my brain. In science, you learn material, memorize it, learn diagrams and repeat this information on tests. Business is much more personable and practical. It was challenging, learning to adjust from straight memorization of facts to open-ended discussions, speeches and papers.

How have you sensed God’s movement in your life during your time here?

I constantly tell people that choosing Biola is the best decision I’ve ever made … life-changing in so many ways. Biola is the first experience I had being far away from home and I quickly had to learn how to become more independent. Also, California culture is very different from New York culture, and I struggled the first few months out here. At times, I actually felt like I was learning a whole new way of thinking and living!

Most importantly, my time at Biola has completely changed the way I look at life. When you begin to see God in the little things, such as the beautiful blue sky or the sunset that looks like a canvas painting, your life changes. When you learn to be okay with not knowing what the future holds because you know that God knows and you can trust Him, you will never feel more free or more at peace. When you realize how beautiful and valuable you are to God, you will be able to reach your highest potential and understand that you were created for a reason, and you are here to make a difference in the lives of those around you.

What passions do you hope to pursue now that you've graduated?

I know that I either want to work in management, law, or a combination of the two, so I plan on obtaining a dual MBA and JD degree!

Was there a favorite class that contributed to your career interests?

My favorite class was Business Law! Growing up, friends and family told me that with my personality and gifts, I should become a lawyer, but I had no experience with it until now. Our sessions were discussion-based real-life and hypothetical cases. It fascinated me and has greatly sparked my desire to pursue law!

I took Leadership and Change with Professor Jeff McHugh, and we had to do a “Design Thinking Project” where we used the 5 Step IDEO Process to come up with a product or service. I decided to focus on Biola’s lack of presence on the east coast, and came up with a hypothetical admissions team called “East Coast Eagles.” Biola is not well-known enough on the east coast, and I am convinced many more students would attend if they simply knew.

Any advice for incoming Crowell students?

Get to know your professors! At Biola, you are being given a rare and precious opportunity to be in a community where your professors genuinely care about you, where your professors pray for you and have your best interests at heart. Go to office hours, go grab coffee, talk to them after or before class — they’re here for you!

And don’t be discouraged your first two years when you have to take the “required” classes that seem to have nothing to do with your plans. These classes are actually very beneficial. Also, tempting as it may be to treat them as “just another requirement,” take your Bible classes seriously — Biola’s Bible classes are life-changing! You will never have another opportunity to take classes like these.

Learn more about Crowell School of Business programs.