I’ve met a lot of people in my lifetime.

I have found something to love about each person that I meet. Whether it’s someone I am introduced to in class and end up partnering with for an extensive project, or someone I’ve met during the annual Playfair at the beginning of my time here at Baker. Every unique individual has inspired me in some way.

I think that’s what it’s supposed to feel like when you come to college — feeling like you will meet hundreds of new people who will open your eyes to so many ideas and concepts that you never thought you would know about had you not enrolled.

Where else are you going to meet that one kid who speaks in a foreign accent yet was born and raised here in Baldwin City? Or where else would you become best friends with your resident assistant who just so happens to get along with every single person on campus?

I have never before met so many special people as interested in me as I am in them. I came here expecting to have trouble making just one person like me and I now have a strong feeling that the multitude of people I’ve met are going to make it extremely hard for me to leave this place and separate from them. It’s not something I had a difficult time with either.

I came to one meeting of Mungano and I was hooked. I attended my first track practice as a freshman and my coaches and teammates immediately made me feel as if all other teams did not compare to the one I was now a part of.

This being said, I want people to realize that college is a time for stepping out of comfort zones, experiencing several cultures you have not been exposed to, and venturing to a side of yourself that you may not have paid much attention to before coming to Baker.

I have learned new perspectives by 1) joining Mungano, a student-run diversity organization comprised of some pretty great students striving for unity; 2) competing for records I did not believe I could break by running for the Baker track team; and 3) participating in several orchestral concerts since becoming a part of the music program here at Baker.

Before arriving on this campus, I believed that the students lined up at the activities fair were truly desperate, urging me to join just one of the many organizations here on campus. I did not care how many there were or what they would offer me. I just wanted to know where the cafeteria was. I don’t regret joining a Greek chapter later than all of other girls on campus, nor do I regret waiting to accept a position as a Wildcat Welcome orientation leader. I am grateful for all of these organizations, and I am even more grateful for the people whom I have had the pleasure of meeting.

Baker University is one of those small schools that leaves a lasting imprint on your life because of the people inside its perimeters. Each team and each partnership has made me that much stronger and confident in my abilities as a student. Not once have I regretted my decision to come here, and I hope that you all find your niche here. There’s never a more perfect time to do so than at your second home.