California Baptist University 2022

While Gurrola converts vans, Isabella Rhodes, senior civil engineering major, wants to live in them. When asked if she would ever live in a van, maybe even one Gurrola built, Rhode’s eyes lit up. “Would I ever? Yes! All my social media is actually full of van life, and I’ve spent an ungodly amount of time reading on it and thinking through all that it entails. It’s definitely a dream of mine. I don’t think it’s something I’ll do right after graduation. I’d like to gain experience in engineering first, and maybe find a remote position to support van life if there are any. Right now, however, I want to build a wedge camper on my truck to explore and camp in on free days. Not only would it take me to see all sort of things I want to see, but it’d be a good way to start small and see if I really am compatible for mobile living. Van life or not, I

don’t think anything could keep me from spending my life outside. A little motto I want to live by: ‘Work to live and don’t live to work.’”

Rhodes is not afraid to get out into nature and really live the nomad life she

enjoys through rock climbing and hiking, “I slowly started hiking when I was young.

My mom would pull us out of the car on road trips through the red rocks of Utah and Arizona

and we’d explore around. As a child it was annoying to constantly be pulled out of the car to ‘walk on dirt,’ but as I got older, I fell in love with exploring deep in nature away from the business of life.” Now, Rhodes hikes all the time with her dog Maybelle in the mountains of her home state. “It’s not only become a form of escapism from the anxieties and over stimulus of life, but it’s also brought me back to the omnipotence and beauty of God. It reminds me that all that happens at the bottom of the mountain, isn’t as big of a deal as a think. Overall, it makes me feel more alive and like myself. It’s also a great place for me to pray.” Her passion for nature leads Rhodes to find her peace outside. She spends her weekends looking for hikes in California, though she says they do not compare to the greener hikes at home.

EXPLORING NATURE Senior civil engineering major Isabella Rhodes explores nature.

WORDS Claire Grimes

PHOTO Courtesy of Isabella Rhodes

DESIGN Kassidy Blount