That's It

Exit 245. I saw the sign to get off 81 and arrive at my first official JMU event - orientation! I couldn't help but think about how many times I would see this sign in the next four years, how many times I would travel back and forth on this highway. It's weird to put time into perspective, and consider how something so new to me now will become familiar in the coming years. I thought about my freshman year in high school, when the campus seemed huge and I felt so out of place. I honestly can't remember my first day at Herndon, but I do know that these feelings never went away. Of course walking the campus became second nature, the people became recognizable, and school schedules became routine - but the feeling of being "out of place" did not change. I didn't realize this until seeing this exit sign...I never really felt a sense of belonging at HHS. I'm not discounting the friendships I made, the fun sports memories, or our school's achievements, but rather realizing that my affinity for Herndon is not matched by what I think JMU will be for me. The commute is new, the campus is new, the people are new - but I already feel like this is where I'm supposed to be. After passing the sign I turned to my mom and said, "this is home". 

 Driving onto the campus furthered my satisfaction. Every time I visit JMU, I have the same genuinely happy feeling. Although the environment is perfect, I was still nervous for this day of "firsts". Not knowing what to expect scared me more than anything, so spending a day with strangers wasn't my idea of fun. Orientation day was a great way for me to shake that fear. My mom reminded me that if I got could through an internship on Capitol Hill, I shouldn't be self conscious about anything. And she's right - I just have to convince myself there is nothing to to be nervous about because worrying is so unnecessary.

The day was actually so much fun. All of the OPAs (Orientation Peer Guides) were enthusiastic and put on a clever presentation at the start of the day. There was one OPA for  every assigned group, who we met after the presentation. Mine was named Christa - she's a double major and triple minor at JMU. Holy cow. I didn't even know that happened in college. She was so friendly, as all JMU students seem to be, and had a great sense of sarcastic humor. When all of my group members met up with her on the quad, we went to an empty classroom and got to know each other. There were about 10 other people in my group - only one boy and the rest girls! There was every type of person in our group, but we all got along. Right away I found a difference between high school and college. Although every one of us would probably be in a different high school stereotype, none of that mattered here. For a second I wondered what stereotype I give off on first impression, but realized it didn't make a difference. I spent the day with them, putting myself out there and starting conversations that really surprised me. One of the girls I talked to was also really interested in photography, and it turns out her dad is high up in the Canon company! I couldn't believe I had so much to talk about with a girl I had just met. We kept finding all of these similarities in our personalities and lives. Another girl was so sweet and quiet, from the south western tip of Virginia. Although we live in the same state, our lives are completely different. Her town doesn't even know what field hockey is! It's crazy to hear about all of these different pasts leading up to the same present. I met so many interesting people, and decided that talking to people is one of the greatest small joys. It's not something to be afraid of. Everyone's story is so different from my own, which is refreshing from growing up in the same town with the same people my entire life. Lunch, games, presentations - it was a great experience. I went to my advisor meeting with two of the girls from my group, and we actually picked classes for next year. I love my advisor, he's also the sarcastic funny type. After a lot of introduction, information, and reading the course catalogue, I had an individual meeting with him. We typed up my first choices in a database to see if there was any room in the class. I had to go with backup choices for a couple of classes, but thankfully taking 93740293 AP classes in high school exempted me from the boring stuff! After five minutes I was placed in Drawing, Two Dimensional Design (both for my major), Social Issues, Human Communication, and Health. Pretty easy and interesting! Also, I don't have a class before 10 AM...if you know me well you know that's for the best! So after a couple clicks, my advisor said "and that's it! see ya in the fall". That's it. Five minutes with my college advisor, five classes for my first college semester. Nothing I should have been worried about. All I have to do is enjoy these new experiences...and that's it!