By Bethany Taylor, Contributing Writer
Between joining new clubs, reuniting with friends and syllabus shock, returning to campus often overwhelms students. The Vindicated class has journeyed through the first week of class for four years now, but the Appointed class is jumping on this crazy ride for the first time.
Daisy Green, a member of the Appointed class, is one such first-time rider. After a Welcome Week full of TAG events and moving into the dorms, Daisy has begun to visualize what her future at Asbury might look like.
“Moving in was not very stressful at all,” Green said. “I had so many people walk by my dorm as I was moving in and ask if I needed anything!”
Green said she is learning that Asbury is all about community. “I already feel really comfortable at Asbury,” she said.
While the freshman, like Green, are looking ahead to the future, the seniors look back and see how the lessons they learned during their first week at Asbury have followed them to the end of the journey.
Vindicated class member Anna Shank sometimes struggled with finding friends freshman year. Shank recalled one lonely night early on in her first semester at Asbury when she and her roommate had nothing to do. Her RA invited them to join her and friends on a trip to Panera. “My RA was a senior, so it was kind of a big deal to be asked,” Shank said.
A “yes” to Panera led to new friendships that would continue well into Shank’s senior year. She said, “Through the years, new relationships blossom and old relationships grow. I have gotten out of my comfort bubble quite often, and it is still scary, but there is so much fruit from doing things that make you scared or uncomfortable.” Shank recommends to freshmen that getting involved is the best way to create new friends and memories, even if some opportunities seem insignificant at the time.
Similarly, Vindicated class member Austin Frerman had no idea the impact life at Asbury would have on him as an athlete and student. He did not expect the friendships he formed the first week to survive four years.
“The guys that I live with on Moose and in Trustees aren’t just friendships in passing that will fade soon after we graduate,” Frerman said. “I’ve learned to value friendships, brotherhood and community more than I ever have.”
For fellow senior Ramon Guivas, every first week of school has been a struggle to balance academics, fellowship and activities. “People are supposed to change in college, and I wanted to take advantage of every dynamic moment. As a freshman, if my schedule wasn’t full, I wasn’t happy,” Guivas said. He has since learned that quantity does not always equal quality.
Guivas encourages the Appointed class to learn from his journey. “I found average success in everything I did and excellence in nothing. The years have mellowed me, and as a senior I find that even though I am doing a lesser variety of activities, they are all so much richer.”
