My Summer of Pep!
I think it is safe to say that every day this summer something happened to make me smile. Part of this is thanks to the adorable 4 and 5 year old kids I spent my days with at Summer Camp! Having dance parties, going on field trips, and splashing around in the kiddie pool are all memories of the cutest little kids that I will miss until next summer!
Along with my summer camp counselor adventures, I also had the amazing opportunity to be an Orientation Leader at Endicott! This position was something I had been looking forward to since I stepped on campus as a freshman, and it totally changed my outlook- not just on my school but on life as a whole.
Being constantly surrounded by 60 amazing, hard-working, kind-hearted people for a week was such an eye opening and fun experience. Getting to know people I probably would have never talked to otherwise was such an amazing opportunity. Everyone had something different and special to bring to the table, and not a day went by that I didn’t learn something new about at least 3 people. While everyone seems one way on the surface, it was such an important reminder that we all have things others don’t know about. Being surrounded by such accepting and caring people allowed everyone to feel comfortable opening up and leaning on one another for any reason.
Having 61 resources who are all working towards welcoming a new group of students to Endicott shows just how accepting and supportive Endicott College really is. Seeing the freshman come through the front gate on the first day of orientation was so exciting and validated all the hard work we had done to prepare for them to arrive. While leaving after that fun-filled week was so hard, knowing I would soon be back with my 60 new brothers and sisters allowed the countdown to be enjoyable.
I think the biggest lesson I learned from this type of experience is that having an open heart and open mind can make a world of difference. If we weren’t all willing to share information about ourselves with a new group of people, our orientation experience would not have been nearly as impactful and enjoyable as it was.