Sawyer Paugh

Major: General Management, Finance

How I got involved at St. Tom's:
When considering which colleges to apply to, my mother noticed that Purdue had a large Catholic population and looked to see if there was a Newman Center on Purdue’s campus. St. Tom’s was listed with the major Catholic organization, Boiler Catholics. With Purdue already being a great school to attend, with quality education and culture being emphasized by the school’s administration. I had grown up Catholic and intended on practicing while attending Purdue. St. Tom’s expansive weekend mass schedule made practicing my faith at Purdue much easier. As I continuously attended mass, I met a kind and welcoming community of intelligent students that I could align with. Some of my first good friends on campus ended up Catholic and attended St. Tom’s, which gave me a feeling of Catholic community within my close circle. In the spring of my first year, I was persuaded to attend Boiler Awakening and met an amazing group of students at St. Tom’s. Ever since I have been more involved than ever at St. Tom’s due to the backbone of Catholic friends and community at St. Tom’s.

Favorite Bible Passage: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” -Proverbs 27:17

Bio: I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon with a family of three older brothers and a younger sister. Catholicism was taught to me throughout my childhood and the values of independence and individualism were instilled as vital to personal development and success with a clear balance of external help such as friends or family. I have always been more interested in playing sports than watching them but I will watch a game here and there with others. Being from the Northwest, hiking was and is a medium for me to be with God through Creation and appreciate the beauty around me in both nature and people. Current interests vary from reading about history to discussing ideas for the future. Since I was in high school, I have always wanted to practice law, and I see a close understanding of business through general management and finance as a positive preemptive tack for my future success. If you’re interested in having a deep discussion, I am always looking to engage in one. My office hours are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:15-1:15 PM in the office downstairs adjacent to Newman Hall. I hope to be a resource and a proper representative of Boiler Catholics while inspiring those who wish to serve God’s plan here at St. Tom’s and throughout the Purdue campus.