I never quite knew how to answer the question of how I ended up at a place like Kenyon College. If I’m being honest, I’d say that it was because it was my cheapest option. But I had always known there was something else that drew me to a hill in the middle of rural Ohio because the minute I set foot on campus I knew I belonged here.
In navigating these first 3 weeks of being an official Kenyon student, I’ve learned that at Kenyon I am not who I was when I was in high school. And that’s not a bad thing, it’s actually a really good thing, even when everything I’m doing right now feels uncomfortable, like embarking on uncharted territory for the first time. Kenyon brings with it new beginnings for all of us First-Years. This is a time to push boundaries, branch out, try new things, make new friends, take weird classes, and join clubs you never thought of.
Which leads me to my oddest yet most rewarding experience that shook my world these past few weeks: I joined the cheerleading team. While it may not seem like the strangest thing to happen to a person, I was far from what people expect when they envision a cheerleader. But perhaps it wasn’t me that was the oddest thing. It was the team itself. I’d never seen anything like it; I discovered that the cheerleading team is a group of accepting, empowering, intelligent women who come together to support their college, but most of all each other. With the majority of the team being people of color, studying in a variety of different disciplines–some even in the STEM fields–from all over the United States and beyond.
If you were anything like I was before I attended Kenyon, you probably had a stereotypical view of cheerleaders that the media and high school had continuously reinforced. I didn’t consider myself a cheerleader, truthfully, because I didn’t believe I had the “look”, especially being of South Asian descent and a Muslim. But at Kenyon the “look” doesn’t matter. Especially when my modest dress code wasn’t an issue at all. Especially when I had absolutely no cheer experience or flexibility. The team accepted me as I was and empowered me to strive to try something new, even when I claimed it wasn’t my scene. The squad was so unique and welcoming to everyone, so I took a chance on something that I never expected to be a part of. Now, I can’t imagine it being any different.
I still have yet to find the sole reason why Kenyon was the place for me, and I fall a little more in love with this place every day. It surprises me how much I enjoy being daring and more open to change. My friends and I jokingly throw around the infamous motto “at Kenyon you will,” but the truth of this statement has no bounds. If at Kenyon I can be a cheerleader, then anything is possible. Take a risk. Broaden your horizons. Experience Kenyon.