Postcard from Orientation

After reading through my four blog posts about Orientation 2011, it's really cool to see how I've grown as a Peer Mentor in my second Orientation. Last year, it was pretty clear through my posts that I was just glad to be part of the entire experience of Orientation - I loved the trainings, I enjoyed all of the team-building activities we had, I loved waking up at 5:15 a.m. to start the 20-hour day, and I loved being a part of something bigger than me. All of that is still true for this year, but it's all different at the same time. I can really feel that I'm making a difference now. Like I said, I was just glad to be there last year. Now I'm glad that I have the opportunity to actually welcome the Class of 2016 to Stonehill, to see thirty students grow throughout the year (and in 32 hours this week), and to be someone that is available to anybody; not just mentees, but fellow PMs, as well. I feel as though I've been able to connect to this team in a way completely different from last year, which I remember saying was one of the things I was excited for heading in to this Orientation. If I had to pick one word to describe my experience last year, I probably would have said something synonymous with "awesome." Now that I have such a different, broader, and deeper understanding of what it truly means to be on this team, I would say that this experience has been special. The relationships that I've built with the team has been unlike anything I've experienced, and the chance to get to know first-year students (keep in mind that Session Two hasn't even started yet) has been something that I'm consciously aware of taking full advantage of, so they get the best experience they possibly can. I know that's happening for me so far, and I have nothing but confidence about this keeping up for the next two days.