Nostalgia

This post is going to sound really lame and be full of cheese, so if you can't stand either of those things stop reading now.

Viking sang today at the admitted students day talk. It was really bizarre to be up onstage this time. I remember a year ago, sitting in the first row that had people in it, wondering whether or not I was ready to choose St. Olaf as my college, my future Alma Matter that would prepare me for the real world. All the colleges had their plugs, and to a certain extent I didn't think where I went made a difference.
Back then, I had no idea how the introduction program went. After Michael Kyle, the Dean of Enrollment, spoke about our school fight song a crowd of 90 guys rushed on stage and started singing. They sounded beautiful, and something inside of me glowed with happiness, to the point where I almost shed tears. Viking introduced themselves, I saw that not all of them were music majors (satisfying to me since Olaf denied me from their music program) and I knew this was the place for me. I don't know how or why I had that feeling. I suppose I have my beliefs as to the reason, but this is no place for a theological discussion.

Though it's only been a year, I feel so much older. All the pomp and circumstance is gone, and I am a fully enrolled student at St. Olaf College. My patience has been tried, I have been challenged in unexpected ways, and already the direction of my life has been altered. I've wondered whether this is the right place, and I've thought about the other colleges I applied (or didn't apply) to. But whenever I step out of the chaos and look at where I am, I realize that all my friends here don't mind sitting in a dorm talking on a Friday night. I've heard the St. Olaf choir move me. I've engaged with the professors, confronted injustice in small ways, and passed my terrifying tests. I've tasted the caf food, and felt the loving spirit each person brings to this campus. When I step out of the chaos I realize that in no other setting could I find someplace so perfect for me.
In front of all those students today I hoped for a few things. Secondarily, that they all come to St. Olaf. But primarily I hope all of them find the college that best fits them. I've passed out of the exciting prospie stage and into a full student. Now I want nothing more than to help students find their right fit, whether that means seeing them be introduced St. Olaf and watching them fall in love, or have them see this school and say "You know what... maybe this isn't the place for me.". I just want to engage every student in conversation and talk to them about their college process, to relive the excitement of that time and to help them find where they need to go.

That's really all I have to say. This day just kind of provided the amalgamation of emotions and excuse for cathartic ranting I needed... and it's only 10:30.