Long lunches at SAGA, late night conversations on the floor, and hours spent simply sitting with friends are some of senior math major Sadie Conrey’s favorite ways to pass time at LeTourneau. When she is not in class or working through a proof, she is usually gathered around a table with people she loves, talking long after the plates are cleared. Originally from Plano, Texas, Sadie jokes that one of the best parts of home is the endless list of restaurants, but what she found in Longview was something she did not expect. “Even when I came for a tour in the middle of the summer when no one was here, I could just feel a lot of peace about being here,” she said. That quiet sense of belonging became one of the first signs that LeTourneau might be more than just another college visit.
That feeling of peace quickly grew into a conviction that this was a place she truly wanted to be. “One of the big reasons I chose LeTourneau is because of the unapologetically Christian mentality,” Sadie said. “It is clear that we are followers of Jesus and that matters to us.” She noticed it in conversations with faculty, in the way students interacted with each other, and in how faith was woven into everyday life through devotionals, classes, and friendships. Over time, that emphasis on relationships shaped how she sees both her future and her present. “I think I will really take away that relationships matter,” she said. “If you are not connecting with the people around you and truly seeing them as humans and loving them, then other things do not really matter.” That perspective has influenced how she approaches her classes, her friendships, and her role as an RA in Davis Hall, where she has discovered what it means to care deeply for the people around her.
As Sadie reflects on her time at LeTourneau, she sees how both academics and community worked together to form her. Reading The Anxious Generation in an honors seminar challenged the way she thought about technology and personal habits, while switching her major from mechanical engineering to math confirmed a passion she could not ignore. She encourages freshmen to “find a place and find a time” each day to be alone with the Lord, believing that silence and solitude are essential in the middle of a busy semester. Whether she is playing intramurals with friends, attending Acousticafe to cheer on classmates, or sitting by the pond behind Mobberly Baptist Church, Sadie has learned to slow down and notice the people and moments around her. Looking back, she would tell her freshman self to breathe and remember that God is in control. “The Lord really loves you and is for you and has good plans for you,” Sadie said.
