Christina Handal isn’t a person that can be pigeonholed. The free-spirited, confident 21-year-old business management major said that concrete life plans scare her.
“I don’t like to project out that far and try to plan my life that far in advance,” Handal said.
“Even a month ahead, you think, this is where I’m going to be at, this is what I’m going to be doing – and your life takes you on some crazy turn of events that takes you somewhere completely different,” she said.
Instead, Handal relies on her faith in God to lead her where she needs to go.
“He’s got something that He really wants me to do, and I’m seeking that out now,” she said.
Handal works at Four Square, a non-profit organization that provides resources to churches, such as covering the start-up costs of opening a new church.
She works there 30 hours a week, while balancing her family and school life.
This year is her first year at CSUN as a transfer student from Moorpark Community College. Since there was an issue with her registration, Handal was only able to take one class.
Handal had reservations about declaring business management as a major. She said the pressure of choosing a major made her decide to pursue business.
“I didn’t want to take off time off school … and I needed to pick something and pick it fast, and I thought, ‘business, OK, we’re going with business,’” she said.
Although, Handal said she sometimes questions whether business was right for her.
“I’m one of those people who fell into business because it was a safe option … I still wasn’t sure if I was making the right choice,” she said.
Handal said quitting was never an option. Even though she said that business is not something she particularly enjoys, she sees the practicality of moving forward with her degree.
“It’s definitely laying the foundation for whatever I’m going to do in the future, and I know that even if I don’t know what I am going to be doing in the future, I know that where I’m at right now is helping me to get there,” she said.
Handal said her dream job is to be a National Geographic photographer – a dream she had since elementary school.
“The reason why I didn’t pursue it is because I always had people telling me, ‘well, that’s not a real job Christina,’” she said.
“Now I kind of regret listening to all those people and not going for it, that’s why I say I’m not ruling it out (as a career possibility).”
Handal said she doesn’t have much spare time, but when she does, she prefers to be anywhere but in front of a computer screen.
Besides hanging out with her family and friends, Handel said she likes to play laser tag at Laser Star, an arcade zone in Camarillo.
“The times I’m there, I think, I watch way too much ‘CSI,’” she said, describing her ducking and tumbling maneuvers she tries to mimic from the show.
“I just don’t like to take myself very seriously. I get really turned off by people that do,” Handal said.
