October 16, 2025 by

My name is Gabriella Lurtz, and I’m from northeast Ohio! I live in Diehl Johnson Hall, and I’m a broadcasting major here at Cedarville with minors in creative writing, music, and, of course, Bible. Here’s a typical day in my life! 

Since I’m not much of a morning person and I don’t have any morning classes this semester, I like to sleep in as much as I can before chapel. The extra sleep always empowers me to get more done on busy days! I usually get up around 8:30 or 9 a.m., eat breakfast in my dorm, and make a marvelous cup of coffee complete with a generous splash of caramel macchiato creamer.   

While I’m eating and drinking my coffee, I like to listen to a few chapters of Scripture. Listening to the Bible has been such a lifesaver for me. Rather than thinking about all the stressful things I’ll have to do that day, I can ground myself by starting my day with God’s Word. 

Every weekday at 10 a.m., we have chapel, which is a good time for the student body to pause and remind ourselves to rest in God. I usually sit with my bro-sis if there are enough seats. At 11 a.m., I head over to the Apple Technology Resource Center for my first class of the day, Multiplatform Journalism. The small class size — only five students! — allows us to workshop our writing and learn from one another. 

After class, I head over to grab lunch. I love scheduling one-on-one lunches with my sister or different friends throughout the week. My favorite place to eat is probably Tossed since it’s a great healthy option. 

By 1 p.m., I’m off to my next class, Digital Media and Law Regulations. Although this is a broadcasting class, it feels more like a government class because it’s all about how the First Amendment applies to the media. The legal terms can be hard to understand, but the professor does a great job answering questions and making sure no one gets left behind! 

Depending on the day, my class schedule can change. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Digital Film Production, where we get hands-on experience making movies, Digital Audio Post Production, where we learn to use audio editing software, and a poetry class where we workshop each other’s pieces. 

After class, I head to the practice room to practice piano and voice. Even though I’m not a music major, Cedarville’s choirs and musical ensembles are open to students of all majors. I’m taking piano lessons from Mrs. Anderson, Director of Cedarville’s keyboard pedagogy program! 

On Mondays at 3 p.m., I head to the Resound Radio fishbowl to record my radio breaks. I work for Resound as a DJ, which is not only a great résumé builder for broadcasting majors but also a great way for students of all majors to improve their public speaking skills, build friendships with the Resound community, and encourage the student body with engaging and uplifting messages.  

Since I usually don’t have anything planned between 4 and 5 p.m., I’ll either crank out some homework assignments or, if it’s after a Resound shift, get coffee with some Resound friends at Rinnova. I usually stay in the SSC for that hour since I’m meeting my hall or bro-sis for dinner in The Commons anyway. Dinner is always a fun time to swap funny stories with friends and laugh about our days. 

After dinner, I usually head back to my dorm and spend the next hour doing homework and debriefing with my younger sister, who also is my roommate. Around 7 p.m., I like to take a brain break and clear my mind by going on a 30-minute run. 

Once I’ve finished running, I head back to the dorm to shower and put my pajamas on. My sister and I have a TV in our dorm room, so we usually invite friends in for a few multi-tasking hours of movie-watching and homework time. If there’s time after finishing the movie and the rest of our homework, my sister and I will call our mom to debrief about our day and see how our family is doing. If my little siblings are still awake, I like to talk to them via FaceTime. I’m really close with my family, so it’s important to me to stay in touch.   

If I’m not still doing homework or on a creative writing streak, I try to start winding down and getting ready for bed around 11 p.m. One thing that really helps me wind down is writing in my prayer journal. I share all my ups, downs, and prayer requests with God like I’m writing Him a letter. It’s always been a comforting way to get things off my chest and give them to God so they’re not running through my mind when I’m trying to sleep. 

Even with lots of projects, assignments, and activities, I’m grateful for all the new things I’m learning, and I’m so excited to discover more about the future career God has in store for me. I’m also grateful for all the wonderful friends I’ve made who love me and encourage me to be more like Jesus every day!  

If you love dabbling in lots of creative areas and you want a major where you can combine them all for a unique, personalized career plan, I recommend checking out Cedarville’s broadcasting program.  

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