I have never been the most outgoing person in the crowd. Before I started college, I had hoped that I would be able to adjust quickly to campus life and find the confidence within myself to find friends and a sense of belonging. I wish I could tell you I succeeded in my first year. It’d make this story a lot easier to tell. But this story is simply one that is ever progressing as I have made it to my first semester of my junior year.
One of the most important, consistent pieces of advice I have ever received from anyone during my time as a college student is to take risks. To try things that scare you, even if you’re going alone. While crazy it’s proven to lead to amazing results. The most recent risk I have taken was a few weeks ago, during our short (but needed) fall break weekend. I was granted the opportunity by Augustana’s MPB (Multicultural Programming Board) to participate at a leadership retreat at Western Illinois University’s Horn Field Campus.
Having submitted my application 10 minutes before it was due, I took this opportunity on a whim, completely unsure if I’d even get selected. Then before I knew it, I was on a bus at 9:30 in the morning, riddled with my typical morning anxiety. Someone must’ve sensed my apprehension as I was given a chocolate muffin from the dining hall. A much appreciated gesture of kindness that was the first of many throughout the trip.
Throughout the weekend, that anxiety I boarded the bus with disappeared quickly. Hornfield is such a beautiful location and everything from the outdoor space, to the cabins were very homey. As our head counselor Mindy told us it is one of the campus’s best kept secrets. I find that being in nature and just getting to enjoy Mindy’s meditative practices we learned as we walked through the trails was such a needed and appreciated time for me. Campus can be very chaotic and it re-emphasized to me the importance of self-reflection and rest.
Aside from our nature walks, I also talked to countless people whom I hadn’t before, ate delicious food and even was able to spend some time with Mr. Bo, Mindy’s 15 year old dog! In most social situations I am so shy, but there was a wonderful community within our group. Mostly made up of international students and others who couldn’t easily return home for the brief break, we bonded over games, smores and the most challenging activity of all: the ropes course.
Mindy always emphasized the importance of challenge by choice. Meaning that any little step is worth celebrating. For many it was completing that course but for me it was even stepping on that bus, filling out the application, looking at the flier.
Overall, I left the retreat being reminded of my strength and my ability to take risks by myself. That with each and every adventure as my confidence grows stronger, the possibilities are limitless for me.