In honor of finishing up my first year, and being back home, working and relaxing…I’d like to just do a re-cap of seven top memories. Five is too few, and ten might be too many…but seven…now THAT’S a perfect number!
1. Walking into my dorm room on the first day with all of my boxes…looking around the room, taking in the white walls and twin-sized bed, and realizing that THIS WAS IT! College had begun.
2. Bus ride during Orientation Adventure (for freshmen)…I met two of my closest friends on that trip…unbeknownst to me that they’d be so influential in my first year…(close relationships can happen where you least expect them and with people that you might not notice at first)
3. First OBSA social lunch (OBSA = Office of Black Student Affairs)…it was great to see fellow African Americans on campus and get to know more of them as a part of my new community—the mac n’ cheese was amazing, too…be sure to reach out to mentor and support systems on campus!
4. Receiving my first “A” on a written assignment in my freshman critical inquiry class; although I may have been an excellent writer in high school…that DID NOT automatically carry over in college…be ready for constructive criticism and a willingness to put in a lot of hard work…this is an entirely new ballpark!
5. This will be a double memory, but represent the same thing…
– Spending the night with my second half, Ale…watching movies and drinking hot cocoa…laughing, talking…
– Staying up until 3 AM with my best friend, Martin…talking about anything, everything, and nothing
– Receiving a Sponsor Position for next year…meaning that I’ll be helping incoming freshmen acclimate to the environment, serving as a resource and living in the hall with them to serve as a mentor and friend…I’m so excited for next year!
– On my birthday, there was an end-of-the-year freshman pool party…a group of the students there surprised me by singing me happy birthday, while I stood blushing in the pool…it reminded me that although I was 2,000 miles away from home…I was still among family
My first year can’t be summed up in words…filled with ups and downs, good times and bad…but I can say that freshman year is unlike anything you’ll have experienced before. Keep your eyes and mind open, try to stay positive, and keep your goals in mind. Oh, and have fun along the way…time will fly by…guaranteed!