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My name is Claire Coker, and I am a freshman studying chemical engineering on the pre-med track at the University of Alabama. I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia but my family now lives in Guntersville, Alabama. Coming to school here was always a dream of mine, but I had no idea how much being in Tuscaloosa would bless me. I was nervous starting school because, as a Christian, I was worried that it would be difficult to find others like me at such a big university. I knew that I wanted to stay true to myself and devoted to the Lord even being around others who most likely did not have those same values.

Luckily, by God’s provision, He led me to Central Church of Christ. I had planned on visiting several churches in Tuscaloosa, but after my first Sunday at Central, I knew this would be my home for the next four years. I could tell that God is doing big things there, and I wanted to be a part of it. The people in Tide 4 Christ were so welcoming, and it is evident that they want to make a difference. I knew that I needed to be a part of an encouraging community to help me grow in my walk with Christ and just in life for these next few years, and I am so happy to have found that.

Balancing spirituality and school can be difficult though. I am not always the best at it. College is such a different lifestyle from what I was accustomed to. It can be hard to make time to go to church or spend time in the Word when there is so much stress from school and when the world is telling you to do other things. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to surround yourself with good influences who will better you as a person. It is so much easier to make time to go to church when you have friends who want to go too. There is always something else I could be doing or worrying about, but I find that my life becomes a lot more peaceful and purposeful when I keep it centered around Jesus.

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