By Olivia Turner | Staff Writer
With March’s warming weather comes spring flowers and “WILDFLOWER,” a new song by Corona, Calif., freshman Kylie Heritca.
Released just last week on her Spotify, Heritca said the song originated from her ever-growing love for nature, which has been fostered by her involvement in Outdoor Adventure LLC activities like rock climbing and mountain biking. As she wrote and composed, Hertica said she saw the song begin to morph from something more flower-focused into that of a more emotional nature.
“It kind of just started off as ‘How can we learn lessons from what nature shows us with going through like different seasons,’” Hertica said. “Nature is constantly changing, and that kind of connects with us ourselves. Our seasons of life constantly change.”
The references to Texas plains, lakes and wildflowers within the track all mark seasons in Hertica’s own life, such as her move to Baylor last semester, she said. This was a theme she said she felt other students would be able to identify with — especially freshmen.
Coming from her small town in California, choosing Baylor was a massive decision, but one she said she felt was needed.
“I ended up traveling out here with my mom and dad and we ended up finding a lake right next to where our hotel was, and it was probably the prettiest sunset I’ve ever seen,” Heritca said.
The lake is one of the symbols in her song. Hertica said the evening at the lake was her moment of realization that she was going to be far away from her family and living on her own for the first time. She said she realized she wasn’t the only one on campus who was dealing with this type of situation, which was one of the motives that led her to pick up the pen and to start writing.
However, her move to Baylor was just one of the seeds that caused her song to bloom, Hertica said. Her faith, something she said she has followed her her whole life, also played into the lyrics.
“The different nature references ended up connecting with different points in scripture, which wasn’t intentional at first,” Hertica said.
Becoming a college student and embracing the independence has allowed Hertica to explore her personal relationship with God, ultimately bringing her to change her major from business to religion in order to keep God a priority and follow His word, she said.
Hertica’s roommate, Cyprus freshman Brooke Williams, said she can see recent revival themes such as the Asbury Awakening and FM72, which occurred on Baylor campus, reflected in Hertica’s spiritual journey and the message of “WILDFLOWER.”
“If something is really impactful to you, you’re going to think about it, you’re going to write about it,” Williams said. “It’s going to stay in your mind, in your heart.”
FM72 and the corresponding prayer tent on Fountain Mall during the worship series, was so impactful to Hertica that she was led to commit to serving in the mission field. Though she does not yet know how God will use her for his work, she will be waiting and trusting in the Holy Spirit for her role to be revealed to her, Hertica said.
Throughout the semester, Hertica’s journey has been anything but easy, Williams said. Switching majors caused class chaos for Hertica, and navigating her relationship with God and what he wants for her has been tricky, she said. According to Williams, one of the best ways they have been keeping strong and focused on their faith together is through time with scripture, prayer and conversation.
“Growth is going to happen no matter what, so just let it come,” Williams said. “It’s a good thing no matter what, whether it causes some hurt in the moment. It’s going to make you a better person.”
