This year’s Torrey Conference features lights, a photo booth, signs and other decorations carefully crafted by volunteers during the night of Tuesday, Oct. 13 preceding the first session. In addition, other volunteers help usher, scan student ID cards or help with things like marketing. A handful of this year’s volunteers shared their experiences and highlights as a conference volunteer, why they selected their job and what they look forward to during Torrey Conference 2015.

Lauren Dacorro, junior psychology major

Jehn Kubiak: What has been your favorite part about volunteering for Torrey Conference?

LD: I like being an usher. Last year, I just sat and watched the conference and I took ID cards when people had to go to the bathroom and it was nice, up-close and personal, right next to the stage. It was a great time — it was great being right in the middle of worship.

JK: Why did you choose to be an usher?

LD:  I liked being an usher because it’s very interactive with people — there’s no dull moment, so you’re always welcoming people, you’re helping people out and I like that kind of stuff.

Scott Salters, junior political science major

JK: What has been your favorite part about volunteering for Torrey Conference?

SS: The community and being able to visit with Lydia and Megan and the other leaders and volunteers — being a part of the community of Biola.

JK: What kinds of decorations will we see?

SS: We have set up a prayer room over by the library and Heritage Cafe. We have some carpets set out so that way it’s a different area designated specifically for prayer and then we cut out articles and pictures from the newspaper dealing with our local area and then also crises across the world and nation. Students will go and take those articles and pictures and then they’ll go and take a time of prayer out and just focus on that event, giving it up to the Lord.

Nicholas Wong, senior biblical studies major

JK: Why did you volunteer for Torrey conference?

NW: It’s mainly the fact that I never volunteered for school before — I never got a chance to help out and this is kind of my last year to help out at a major Biola event.

JK: What’s your favorite part about Torrey Conference?

NW: The story slam. The story slam sessions are really fun and I really do love some of the workshops they provide too and that many of the things that they give are really informative.

Faith Witcher, freshman communications major

JK: What’s your favorite part about Torrey Conference?

FW: I’m interested in event planning, so that was a big thing for me, but I’m also interested in being a part of school events. And the free credits.

JK: What kinds of decorations will we see?

FW: We’re making a lot of the “æ’s” which is the theme of the conference, and there’s an interactive photo booth. We wanted to make sure there were little “æ’s” everywhere. We did lights along the hill that leads up from lower campus to the business building and over here [Sutherland courtyard].

Lydia Rankin, senior sociology major

JK: What does the experiential site team do?

LR: The experiential site team does all the different experiential sites that you see around campus, so all the cool random art you see, those things that you can interact with where you’ll see the cross and you can lay your burdens down at the cross. Here we have this tapestry that we’re doing, there’s a couple of experiential sites in the library courtyard. Things that are actively taking what we’re learning in Torrey and doing something where you can physically touch and in a tangible way apply what you’re learning — so you’re not just working your mind, you’re actually working with your hands as well.

JK: What are you looking forward to most during Torrey Conference?

LR: My mom is coming, so just being able to show my mom…I never invited my family to come, so being able enjoy this with my mom my last semester here and just really being able to say, as someone else put it, ‘It’s so cool that you’re giving back your final year.’ I’m looking forward to really having my mom there and seeing what I’ve been taking part in.