This was no ordinary field trip.

In the winter of 2016, Aaron Ramirez was attending a small Christian high school in Northern California, when one of his teachers, a graduate of The Master’s University, took Ramirez and some of his classmates to the Truth & Life Conference at TMU.

The drive covered nearly 1,000 miles roundtrip and proved to be a life-changing experience for Ramirez. Even if he didn’t know it at the time.

At the conference, Ramirez was amazed by the genuine way TMU’s students interacted with each other and the passion they poured into singing praise songs. Then there was the preaching. Featured speakers Dr. John MacArthur and Dr. Steve Lawson unpacked Scripture with power and precision.

“I was taking notes like crazy,” Ramirez says.

Ramirez was intrigued, but attending Master’s was out of the question. To avoid loans, he had committed to paying his way through college. TMU would have been a blessing, he thought, but one he couldn’t afford. Besides, he knew he could grow spiritually and serve the Lord closer to home.

So, Ramirez enrolled in community college, not knowing that four years later he would graduate from TMU with a business degree, lasting friendships and a firm understanding of Christ’s centrality to every area of life.

“I’m just so thankful,” Ramirez says of graduating from Master’s earlier this month. “I look back and I’m like, ‘How did this happen?’”

For a while, it looked like it wouldn’t.

After graduating from Providence Christian School in Orland, California, Ramirez spent two years at a community college. He continued to grow spiritually, studying God’s Word and attending a weekly Bible study at his church. But his faith and convictions were tested at school. On campus, he didn’t know many believers, and most of his professors promoted a secular worldview.

“I had to walk out of a class at one point because of a movie the professor was making us watch. I just wasn’t going to sit through it,” Ramirez says. “There were certain lectures I didn’t agree with, and I got a little heat for that. I just tried to stand firm.”

Ramirez’s commitment to the truth didn’t go unnoticed. During his second year, a generous donor — inspired by Ramirez’s devotion to Christ — offered to pay for the rest of his education at any Christian school. “I want you to go somewhere that will help you grow even more,” the donor said.

As the initial shock wore off, Ramirez’s mind drifted to the Christ-centered community he’d seen at the Truth & Life Conference. He signed up for classes at TMU.

“I was so thankful. I mean, it brought me to tears,” Ramirez says. “I called my parents, and my mom was crying. It was an answer to prayer.”

Ramirez says nearly all his units transferred into TMU and the overall transition went smoothly. However, one thing about his new environment surprised him.

“I knew I was going to meet a lot of people and grow spiritually, but I didn’t realize how many long-lasting friendships would happen and how close I’d get to people,” he says.

Those friendships took shape on the beach, on the intramural field and on late-night runs to In-N-Out Burger, playing out in conversations that ranged from silly to serious.

“We’re messing around playing intramural sports and having fun, but at the same time there’s those nice conversations, like the ones I had with my roommate about life. It really helps you focus back on God’s Word,” says Ramirez, who also took part in a dorm Bible study. The group recently studied the life of Joseph.

“In that study, I saw the Lord’s faithfulness play out in Joseph’s life and saw how synonymous that can be to my life. Not that I’m anywhere close to Joseph. But obviously the Lord is still faithful.”

On Sundays, Ramirez attended Grace Community Church, sitting under MacArthur’s preaching and forming meaningful relationships in a fellowship group.

The rest of the week, Ramirez focused on completing a challenging business curriculum. He says he especially benefitted from Intro to Risk Management, Real Estate Principles, and Global Business Strategies.

“The classes weren’t easy. You couldn’t coast. You had to work hard to get them done,” says Ramirez, who held his own, focusing on finance and graduating cum laude. It helped, he says, that the professors cared so much.

“One thing that stands out is the kindness of the teachers and their willingness to help. The class sizes are small enough that they can build a relationship with you. At big universities, you don’t get that as much.”


Aaron Ramirez, back row center, poses with Interim President Dr. Abner Chou and other Master’s students at TMU’s graduation earlier this month.

Ramirez also saw his professors as role models. TMU’s faculty members have represented Christ in executive and administrative positions in a wide variety of businesses; they see their work in the classroom as ministry, equipping the next generation of students with the skills, wisdom and networks to serve companies and churches with excellence.

For his part, Ramirez loved that his professors prayed before starting class and assigned papers on topics like stewardship and savings from a biblical perspective.

“I think we get this impression that there’s a separation between secular and sacred,” Ramirez says. “But the lives of the business professors have really been a testimony that Christ should be at the center of everything.”

After graduation, Ramirez planned to move to Montana where he had secured an apprenticeship with an electrician. He hopes to one day open his own business and invest in real estate.

Of course, he doesn’t know what the Lord has planned. But he knows from experience not to worry.

His advice for students transferring to TMU?

“I would tell them to get out of their dorm rooms and make as many friends as possible,” Ramirez says. “The students as well as the faculty are worth getting to know.”

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To learn more about transferring to TMU, [click here](https://www.masters.edu/admissions/undergrad/transfer).