It’s the Sunday night of fall break, my to-do list is spilling out of my planner, and there’s a laundry basket full of clothes waiting to be folded. In other words, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. It has been a crazy semester, and there’s little hope for any sanity being added in the near future. But in just these eight weeks of madness, I have already learned so much about myself, my peers, and life in general. I spent the summer filled with anxiety about my return to Bradley this fall. I knew my role as Managing Editor at The Scout would be extremely time-consuming, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be president of Sonor. I wasn’t sure how I would find time for Serve, an organization that had been a big part of my college life, and I was nervous about living in an apartment with two girls that had pretty different interests from me. It seemed like my usual optimism had vanished, leaving in its wake doubt and even dread. But as Welcome Week approached, my anxiety turned to excitement. I finally began putting some of our plans for The Scout into action, making big strides in bringing the newspaper to the next level. My Sonor recruitment chair emailed me a long list of ideas, getting me excited to lead the club in a good direction and assuring me that the rest of the exec committee was going to be stellar. As Serve began gearing up for our annual Welcome Week Service Project, I realized that my determination to stay involved with the organization would be enough to make it happen. In just these eight weeks, I’ve met a multitude of great people and strengthened my relationships with those I already know. I’ve found inspiration to be better, try harder, and excel further from so many of these people, and I couldn’t be more thankful for where I am now. I’ve seen all members of The Scout staff greatly improve. I’ve seen our advertising department exceed all expectations, our sports editors come up with incredible new ideas, and our copy editors grow in both their writing and their confidence. Even better, our staff has grown to be a family in just a few short weeks. We support each other, whether it’s going to our photographer’s hockey game or starring in our news editor’s class project. We laugh together, because, well, our newsroom is absolutely hilarious – as is the constant stream of mischief in our Facebook group. We learn from each other, and we help each other. We’re everything you could ask for and so much more. I’ve seen Sonor accomplish more in eight weeks than it has in full semesters. Despite having very few members to start the year, our exec committee wasted no time putting our plans into action and has already launched four campaigns. The efforts of our recruitment chair and her committee has since doubled the size of our club, while our P.R. chair has taken on great responsibilities, keeping me in line and making my life so much easier. I’ve had tons of fun getting to know these girls better, and we’ve been doing great at spreading our messages across campus. I’ve been more involved with Serve than ever before, and I’ve grown closer with so many other club members. This year’s Welcome Week Service Project was my favorite event yet, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the impact we make on our community. We welcomed new members that have already shown incredible initiative and stepped up to become fully active members of Serve, and we’ve come up with new ideas for getting more people involved with community service. All of these organizations have provided me with great opportunities, but even better, they have introduced me to some truly amazing people. My editor-in-chief at The Scout is unlike any girl I’ve ever met. Her ability to balance tons of commitments and produce work of only the highest quality, all while being a great friend, is inspiring to everyone. She takes a genuine interest in all those she encounters, and her ambitions to change the world are sure to be fulfilled. She frustrates me more than any other person ever has, but we’re always able to regroup at the end of the day and make a killer team. She has become my constant supporter, my endless comforter, and my greatest inspiration. My friends from other organizations are accomplishing great things. One is bettering the Bradley experience for all students, one is balancing three jobs and significant roles in two clubs, and one is spending all his time helping others as he works toward a future career in criminal justice. My friends that graduated this spring are off making their paths in the real world. One is battling his way through med school, one is settling into a job after a killer cross-country summer adventure, one is gearing up for grad school, and one is making it on his own in a new city all by himself. All are encouraging me and inspiring me with the examples they set. Some time during these days of leaving my apartment at 8 a.m. and not returning until well after 11 p.m., I’ve reached my happy place. I’ve come to the place I never knew I wanted to be but the place that fulfills all my dreams. I am having so much fun, and I constantly feel motivated to do great things. The people around me are the bomb, and I am learning so much from them. I’m living for myself, but I’m also living for others. I am getting to help them achieve their goals, all while making some great friends. I know that when I graduate – whenever that may be – I will be able to look back and know I had the absolute best college experience I could have. It’s been a mere eight weeks, but it’s been an incredibly fulfilling eight weeks. I’m thankful for the experiences I’ve had, and I can’t wait to make more memories.
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Kristin KreherMy happiness comes from meaningful interactions, the outdoors, thrift shops, and saying "thank you." Archives
April 2018
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