Diary of June

If there is anything in the world that could even come close to an upset over the #1 ranked team in the nation, it's the beginning of my third and final year as a Peer Mentor, kicking off with our Meet and Greet this afternoon. First off, let me give the Bentley game its fair share of blog space. HOLY GOD was that game amazing. The Bentley game is my favorite event at Stonehill, but to have it come against the best women's team in the country at home is something special. To knock off a 24-0 rival on your home court is something special, and to be part of the crowd that made a difference in the game is something special. I talked about this after the nationally televised football game, and I'll say it now - THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE EXCEPTION. Granted, there are just playoff hopes for Merkert Gym, but for years to come, any and all sports teams at Stonehill should have the fan support they deserve.

But Orientation, that's like one day of special that happens a lot longer than one day. Something that I realized today is that there's no one on the team who's already gone through what I (and the fellow third years/eventual rising seniors) will this semester/summer/next year. When I was in my first two years of Orientaiton, there were plenty of older PMs who gave me advice and stuff. But now that it's actually my turn to be one of those people makes it simultaneously cool and strange. I wouldn't say that I'm scared to be a third year - I think it's something that I already know I want to make the most out of - but it's definitely a new experience.

And I absolutely love that it's a new experience. One of the best things about programs that have constantly moving pieces is that you always have to adapt to your components. It's the exact same thing as college basketball teams. You could be a defensively-minded team one year, relying on play in the post, and then be a guard-oriented, fast-break team the next year. It all depends on who you have and what their roles are. And with new members and new roles, it's going to be an entirely new team, and entirely new experience. Which I'm all about. Something else that I'm all about is wordplay. Despite the fact that "Diary of Jane" has absolutely nothing to do with Orientation, being able to refer to my third-year experience as the Diary of June is exactly my kind of thing. Because reflection is cool and stuff, you know. More to come on this periodically throughout the next near-dozen months. All I can say for now is that I'm more than excited for all of this, one more time.