It all started my freshman year at Cal Lutheran. I had a difficult transition into college and my goal for my second year at Cal Lutheran was to help the incoming freshman with struggles they were facing. I wanted to make a difference even if it meant just getting through to one student and helping them enjoy their time at college. When I got the position of being a Peer Advisor, I was ecstatic and remember somewhat feeling a like a big sister. I personally don’t have any siblings so I knew that although I was going to be somewhat of an authority figure, moreso than that I wanted to be a big sister to my Peer Students. Fast forward to summer and everyone at work was asking me when I was going back to school and I tell them about two weeks before classes started. I knew I was going back early for “Prep Week” but I had no idea what those two words would entail.
Those two weeks were some of the best two weeks I have ever had. I had the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people and learn so much more about them and from them. Some of them I knew from the previous year, some I knew about through social media, and some of them I had never crossed paths with. I shared details of my life with them that my family don’t even know about and it was because we created a safe and trusting environment where everyone was able to break down their barriers and be their true selves. We had days where we had a lot of presentations and learned about all of the services Cal Lutheran offers which I really liked because I didn’t know about a lot of them my freshman year. And then other days we had a beach day, and bonding activities. We spent at least 12 hours a day with each other so we got to know a lot about each other from dietary restrictions, to favorite Starbucks drinks, as well as our deep dark secrets. I learned that there are a lot more people at Cal Lutheran that struggle with the same things I do and that we can provide support for each other. It inspired to me to come up with activities to do with my Peer Students to make them feel included and never feel alone.
I thought that nothing could get better after Prep Week but meeting my Peer Students and getting to know them has definitely been the biggest blessing of this experience. It still is the beginning but I’m so excited for all of the classes and outings to come. We recently had a “family dinner” and went and got sushi together. I feel like there’s only so much we can learn about each other in a classroom. And everyone might not be comfortable to share in a classroom setting. Through our philanthropy event as well as our social event I’ve come to realize how kind, hard-working, and hilarious they are and I absolutely can’t wait to get to know them better and become better friends! If you guys are reading this, I love you guys and please know I’ll always be there for you, no matter what!