Seeing Red

Red polo shirts. They've kind of been a huge thing for me over the past 3 years. Freshmen year I applied for this little job called "orientation leader." And I got it. I was about to become "one of those kids": the overly caffeinated student that shows you where to park your car, where the cafeteria is, and just how amazing their college is. And though the job description seems to entail a long list of enthusiasm and spunk...there's a lot more that goes into it. And a lot more to get out of it.

I welcomed over 6000 people into our school's main promenade. I've herded freshmen into 4 dorm rooms, 3 academic buildings, and a chapel. I made my acting debut as a broken-hearted boyfriend and an infuriated father who may have been pushing pills. And I played enough ice-breakers to significantly intensify global warming. I'd say I put my hours in as a leader.

But when the days were done and the guests were gone - I found myself surrounded by a special breed of people. You see, the orientation staff is basically an accumulation of the most off the wall yet down to earth people on campus. Although we're all extremely active, it's not with each other. We have our own friends, clubs, and majors. And it takes orienation to put us together. Therefore, I can tell you whole-heartedly that I don't understand why my peers behave the way they do most of the time. But that's what makes it all so perfect. It's absurd. It's a job that hires you...to be you. And because there's nobody even remotely like us there, there's no such thing as a "norm." It's a very raw atmosphere once those red shirts come off (oh yes). And we love each other for it. Become best friends for it.

That said, today was my last day wearing a red polo. Well, wearing it for all those reasons. Today, more than ever in the past 3 years, I saw myself in the job. I saw myself as an assured, young guy, happy with what he's become here. There's an ora that our group gives off, a breath of comfort. And sometimes that's all it takes to say goodbye to a loved one for a while or say hello to a stranger. They asked us seniors to leave the program today with a word of advice for the crowd. I told them to forget about the word transfer. It's a change. And we all change. I'm graduating, they're going to a new school. The best thing we can do is get into the driver's seat and hit the gas. Embrace it. If we don't steer ourselves the way we want to go, we'll wind up at some pitz stop that seemed worth settling for. Don't settle, go for your happy. Go for that, and this change will be just fine.