The Warmest Welcome
August is a bittersweet month, the days of sleeping in and nights of sitting around a campfire come to an end. However, it is also a time for new beginnings and new opportunities. Last week, the incoming Ohio Northern students packed their bags, hugged their friends goodbye and geared up for a new chapter of their life. All while a group of over 50 orientation leaders spent hours in training preparing for their arrival. I had the opportunity to be one of the 50 orientation leaders and to say it was a life changing experience would be an understatement. During training we spent hours learning one another's names, hometowns and a few fun facts. Little did I know, I would meet some of my best friends and create unforgettable memories. During training we also practiced different scenarios that might arise and reviewed our schedules more times than I can count. I already knew it was going to be a great welcome weekend!
Wednesday rolled around, our alarms went off before the sun was up and we were ready to welcome the incoming students. We held posters, danced, and directed cars for over six hours. I set my Apple Watch to record a dance workout and by the time all the cars came through I had burned over 2,200 calories from cheering alone. That was just the start of it. From there we played games, more games and tried all the delicious food around Ada, Ohio. By the end of welcome weekend, everyone looked worn out, but more importantly, ready for a new chapter to start. So much sleep was lost, but so many memories were made, making it the warmest welcome weekend.
We also got to meet the international students who would be attending Ohio Northern this year. Traveling across the world to meet new people and try new things is no easy feat, so we spent our evenings making them feel welcomed. We played volleyball until the rain sent us home and shared about our different cultures. By now I thought I was tired, but that was nothing compared to the exhaustion I would be feeling in the next couple of days.
Wednesday rolled around, our alarms went off before the sun was up and we were ready to welcome the incoming students. We held posters, danced, and directed cars for over six hours. I set my Apple Watch to record a dance workout and by the time all the cars came through I had burned over 2,200 calories from cheering alone. That was just the start of it. From there we played games, more games and tried all the delicious food around Ada, Ohio. By the end of welcome weekend, everyone looked worn out, but more importantly, ready for a new chapter to start. So much sleep was lost, but so many memories were made, making it the warmest welcome weekend.
This sounds like it was such a blast, definitely an experience I am sad I missed out on. I love those kinds of events and just making people feel welcomed. Working with the international students had to be so interesting. I would love to hear about all the different cultures and what they thought about ours!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds really great and an unforgettable experience. I’m so happy to see you and other orientation leaders during welcome week. I felt overwhelmed by new surrounding but your kindness helped me a lot. The welcome week will be one of my special memories in my life.
ReplyDeleteI love your insight on being an orientation leader. When I was a freshman, I thought that the enthusiasm orientation leaders showed was impossible. I suppose whatever training you went through made you become very energetic. Burning that many calories by cheering shows how much passion you put into your responsibility. The fact that you got to also interact with the international students seemed like quite the fulfilling and enlightening opportunity. By your post, loosing sleep was well worth helping new students.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a great time in Ada and it was very eventful before school even started. I remember last year when I was an incoming freshman and how nice the orientation leaders were. It seems like you had a great time being an orientation leader and burned a lot of calories as well. I hope you have a great semester. I am looking forward to following your blog and interacting all semester.
ReplyDelete