Culture is a powerful force shaping one’s sense of self.
Alexis Hixson, junior interpersonal communication major, is not an international student but feels like she might as well be.
At age 8, Hixson’s parents accepted positions to serve as missionaries at Christ’s Church Rwanda in Kigali, Rwanda. Aside from an annual trip to Oklahoma, where she was born, Hixson didn’t experience American culture until she began her undergraduate education at Pepperdine University in Fall 2017.
After spending eight years living in Rwanda, Hixson arrived at Pepperdine unaware of the materialist culture she voluntarily entered.
“I came from a developing nation with high poverty rates to a place with people complaining about stuff their parents wouldn’t buy them,” Hixson said. “Pepperdine can be a culture of ignorance since wealth can put blinders over the eyes of students who haven’t experienced extreme poverty before.”
Hixson’s transition to Malibu proved to be more difficult than she anticipated.
“I experienced culture shock for a while whenever I first got to Pepperdine,” Hixson said.
Hixson said she felt a constant state of being in limbo when it came to her culture.
“I never felt fully accepted by my Rwandanden friends, as I could never fully share in their culture,” Hixson said. “I was also never fully Oklahoman, as my experiences changed and my friends couldn’t relate to what was now relevant to me.”
And college only added to that cultural confusion, or so she thought.
While at Pepperdine, Hixson participated in Pepperdine’s Florence study abroad program in Fall 2018 and the summer Middle East program in 2019. She was supposed to travel with Pepperdine to East Africa, where she would study in Rwanda once again, but Pepperdine canceled the trip due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Hixson’s background makes her more of a global citizen who can easily connect to international students, said Ksenya Tarasenko, a junior international relations major from Russia.
“She sees the world not only through the American lens but also through the international one, which helps her to be a great communicator,” Tarasenko said.
Although adjusting to life in America was more difficult then Hixson anticipated, she views her unique experience as a gift.
“As a third culture kid, my culture is a blend of American and Rwandan, which is a benefit as there are almost more groups on campus that are accessible to me,” Hixson said.
In addition, Hixson is able to attribute her adaptability to her upbringing.
“I’m more comfortable getting out of my comfort zone in a cultural context,” Hixson said.
Hixson said she struggled to connect at Pepperdine, but her friends said otherwise.
“I might have cued her in on some recent pop culture references, but that’s about it,” said Amiyah Lee, Hixon’s freshman roommate and an integrated marketing communication major.
Lee described Hixson as a Renaissance woman.
“She can sing, she can draw, she’s an excellent photographer, a natural leader, a great communicator, and a world traveler,” Lee said. “Her Godly spirit, thirst for knowledge and service-oriented heart always inspire me to be the best version of myself.”
Lee also attributes Hixson’s communication skills to her seamless transition to Pepperdine.
“I think Alexis adjusted very well,” Lee said. “She knows how to engage with different types of people and seems to easily create authentic connections with them.”
And Hixson’s friends suggested her childhood provided her with something special.
“Her upbringing in Rwanda gives her a unique perspective on life that not all of us have,” said Jessica Stomberg, IMC major and friend of Hixon. “Having experienced such a different culture I think gives her a greater understanding of the differences that people have in society and allows her to be kind to all.”
There are still elements of American culture that boggle Hixson’s mind.
“It’s weird to see people get so angry about politics and at each other about opposing viewpoints,” Hixson said. “I am not used to it since Rwanda doesn’t have a two-party system.”
Hixson’s detailed background in missionary work allowed her to break down the misconceptions that are associated with missionary work.
“A lot of people have a bit of an extreme view of missionary work,” Hixson said. “When I went to visit my church in Oklahoma over the summer, I got questions from a college youth group asking if I lived in a hut or if I had electricity.”
Hixson said her own faith was tested while her parents were missionaries.
“Just because you know a lot of things about God doesn’t mean that you know God,” Hixson said. “I had to claim my faith as my own and not as my parents.”
Hixson said this was a difficult process because she had to remain private while discovering her faith.
“My parents’ jobs depended on my behavior, and I could not rebel publicly even if I wanted to,” Hixson said.
Hixson urged Pepperdine students to gain exposure and widen their worldviews to cultures other than their own.
“Americans are so patriotic and nationalist — more so than other countries in the world — that they have less of an awareness of what is going on in other nations,” Hixson said. “Make an effort to try to understand the status of more places than just where you are from.”
Abby LaPine completed the reporting for this story under the supervision of Dr. Christina Littlefield and Dr. Theresa de los Santos in Jour 241 in Spring 2020. Dr. Littlefield supervised the web story.
