Emma Bohmann and Ally Candler are very different people. Emma, a Houston native, is an English/theology major with hopes of one day going to seminary. Ally, who came to TLU from Boerne, is studying molecular biology and wants to be a forensic pathologist. On the surface, you wouldn’t think they’d necessarily have all that much in common.
But the two met during the very first week of school last year—their freshman year—and that magical click happened. They became fast friends and have been inseparable ever since.
“Although we are interested in different things, Emma and I are both passionate about our goals,” Ally says. “We are a perfect balance!”
Last fall, Emma happened to be eating with some of Ally’s friends in Hein Dining Hall when Ally arrived and spotted the group. “She said something to the effect of, ‘Hi, I think I follow you on Instagram and I think we would be such good friends,’” Emma recalls. As different as their fields of study were, it turned out the two had deeper commonalities. “Something that I think made us click immediately were our similar perspectives on faith and our shared values,” Emma says, adding that although she enjoys being friends with people with a wide range of experiences and worldviews, “it’s also so fulfilling to have a few friends with whom you share similar stories, struggles, dreams, priorities, and attitudes. I think I’ve found that with Ally.”
One of the things they’ve bonded over: the role that faith plays in their lives. “We go to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church here in Seguin together most Sundays, we work in Campus Ministry together, and we’re both overall very curious about our individual spiritual lives,” Emma says. “We also share a common work ethic, and we hold ourselves to similarly high academic standards, even though we have two very opposite academic pathways.”
Those differences have actually helped each to grow. “I have learned a lot from Ally through her dedication and passion for STEM, and I hope that during the next few years, I’ll be able to share some of my knowledge and passion for theology with her,” says Emma.
But back to freshman year.
Emma had come to TLU in search of a small, private, religious school. “That’s the environment I knew I would learn best in and make the most connections in,” she says. As a Lutheran, she likely would’ve had the university on her radar anyway—but as it happens, she’s also a legacy student—on both sides of her family.
“My parents met at TLU, my aunt and uncle both taught here, and I have countless cousins, several grandparents, and many extended family members who all attended TLU—many while it was still TLC!” she says, adding that in spite of her Bulldog bloodline, she never felt any pressure to follow in the family footsteps. “Rather, I felt an undeniable sense of belonging when I first visited the campus. I knew I would thrive here, and I was right.”
She says she was pleasantly surprised by the Lutheran aspect of the educational experience at TLU. “It’s really great that I’ve been able to gain exposure to a wide variety of worldviews and spiritual perspectives, while still understanding that a lot of the broader conversations about vocation and calling are rooted in a Lutheran understanding. Being at TLU so far has also enabled me to meet and connect with alumni, students, and faculty who I share a common thread with, either through being Lutheran or through my family. That’s been a really cool experience so far, because it makes college feel much more like home.”
Meanwhile, Ally chose TLU for the many opportunities it offered. “I get to keep growing academically while still getting the chance to do the things I love outside of the classroom”—things like having the opportunity to play her clarinet. As to her academic field of interest, Ally has always been drawn to science. “Being a forensic pathologist will allow me to continue exploring my love for biology while being able to serve others.”
And that touches on one of those deeper common denominators between the friends—the desire to serve others.
Emma had started her college career as an English major, and decided to add theology a few weeks in. “But the idea of working in ministry had been moving in my mind for a long time before that. I think my interest in attending a Lutheran seminary and then potentially pursuing pastoral ministry really came about during my senior year of high school.”
She says her home congregation, Kinsmen Lutheran Church in Houston, had provided a great community. “I had two pastors there, Pastor Beth Warpmaeker (TLU class of ’92!) and Pastor Jay Shailer, who both mentored me in my leadership and encouraged my interest in learning about theology.”
Emma also learned about “what it looks like to do ministry in different contexts: working with youth, children, community members, peers, and the larger congregation” from several lay leaders in her home parish. “Kinsmen became like a second home to me, and I realized that, on top of my passions for writing, studying Scripture, and working with people, there’s something so endlessly captivating about helping people identify where the Holy Spirit is working in their lives and in the world, and how they can follow that path. So, yeah—the plan right now is TLU, then seminary, and then we’ll just have to see.”
One thing about the future is certain: These two will have one another to lean on—an enduring blessing from their undergrad years. “Although we all experience things as individuals throughout college, we’re all going through it together,” says Ally. “Close friends are so important to keep you both grounded and motivated!”
Emma agrees, pointing out that true friends can also help you connect to yourself. “When you’re entering such a morally and spiritually diverse community like college, it’s really easy to lose sight of who you were when you came in. This is not to say that I haven’t already changed, or I won’t change my perspective on different things based on the people I’ve talked to and the things I’ve learned since I’ve been at college. But knowing at least one person like Ally, who understands what’s important to me and the standards to which I hold my friendships and relationships, reminds me of the goals I’ve had since the beginning of college and the person I am at my core,” she says. “Additionally, Ally is someone who understands the necessity of empathy and affirmation in friendship, and that makes her not only a great friend for me to approach with my problems, joys, and worries, but it also makes her someone who all of my other friends feel safe with and encouraged by.”
And of course, one of the most important blessings of friendship is simply having fun together—laughing together. “Ally is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met,” says Emma. “And she's able to let the people around her take a break from whatever they’re struggling with and just have fun.”