TREY HERRON - HISTORY
History major sharpened faith and prepared for law school at Southeastern

At Southeastern, 2006 grad Trey Herron fused his personal faith with his love of the social sciences and found direction for his future.

When Herron transferred to Southeastern in 2005, he wasn’t planning to go to law school. He liked political science and the history of public policy, but he thought secular law schools didn’t mesh with his goal of working for conservative, Christian organizations. It was at Southeastern, however, that Herron underwent a process of spiritual and intellectual discovery that showed him how studying law could help him achieve his goal.

Although Herron grew up going to church, his quest for spiritual knowledge began when his father gave him a copy of the C.S. Lewis book Mere Christianity in 2005. He began to ask questions such as “How do I know there is a God?” and “How do I know the difference between right and wrong?” During classes at Southeastern, while reading, and through discussions with professors, Herron found his answers. He gained a religious and historical perspective of faith during his Bible classes on the Old and New Testaments with Southeastern religion professor Dr. Robert Waddell. Herron continued refining his ideas of faith and modern life in Southeastern’s Christian Thought classes. He examined the history of doctrine regarding God, man, ministry, the Holy Sprit, and the Church.

While Herron investigated the big questions of faith at Southeastern, he also studied big questions in history with Southeastern history professor Dr. Kenneth Myers. In his class on twentieth century U.S. History with Dr. Myers, Herron studied the policies he wants to impact during his career. Herron examined the issues, events, and policies of the 1960s that have formed modern feminism and liberal thought. Herron says Dr. Myers’ lectures made history come alive. Dr. Myers took the individual stories in history and connected the dots. He knocked off the rough edges that made history difficult to understand and added the fine strokes of detail. Thanks to Dr. Myers, Herron says he left Southeastern with a comprehensive understanding of history.

Besides tailoring information in a way that Herron could understand, Dr. Myers also gave Herron opportunities to research topics of his choice. Dr. Myers took time outside of class to discuss the questions Herron had from Dr. Myers’ recommended readings. One of these discussions interested Herron in U.S. Constitutional law and led him to take the LSAT, the standardized test law schools use in their admissions process. After Herron did well on the LSAT, he decided to apply to law school at Regent University.

With the firm spiritual and historical foundation he formed at Southeastern, Herron has continued his education at Regent University School of Law. After he graduates, Herron seeks to use his law degree to plot his next step: working for social change through public policy.