Beyond the Books~

Academia - the wonderful world of college. We are told as high schoolers that college is all about academic success, full of studying and hard work. The doorway into your future. Though this is definitely part of the package, your college career is more than simply earning a degree. It's so much more than that.


It's about development. It's about finding out who you are as an individual. It's about knowing what your purpose is and running with your passions. It's about molding you to be the person you want to be. It's about life.


For me, it's also about relationships. If I have learned anything at all during my time here at Fox, it's that relationships are everything. Now, these aren't relationships strictly in the romantic sense, but they are relationships with friends, co-workers, faculty, staff, classmates, and most importantly, Jesus Christ.


During the beginning of my college career, I spent most of my time with my head in my books. I studied hard and earned good grades but felt like there was some part of my experience that I was missing. The more time that I have spent here, I have learned that being social and getting to know people is just as important as succeeding in the classroom. I've learned how important it is to me to spend time with the ones I love. I want to know more about those I care about -- how they tick, what drives them, what their passions are, how God is working in their lives -- and the only way for me to do that is to spend time with them.


This is one of the last times in our lives that we will be in concentrated area with our peers. Because of that, we have to take advantage of it. People say that the kind of relationships you develop during your college career are nothing like any relationship of your past. I believe that with my whole heart. You get to see people in a raw environment. You enter their living areas and their daily routines, interacting with them by being a part of their lives. The relationships are intimate and real. There's nothing else like it.


It amazes me how fast I can connect with students here at Fox. I can feel like I've known people forever but may have only met them last month. My professors talk to me like I'm a friend that they care about. The RA's give so much of themselves to the residents in their halls. Faculty members know my name, listen to my stories, and love me for simply being a student here. The connections are deeper and stronger. They are vulnerable but lasting.


Now how does this relate to Orientation? Orientation weekend is the first opportunity for you to meet new people and create new relationships. Some of the people you will meet in this first weekend could turn out to be some of your best friends. I met three of my best friends in my First Year Seminar class and many others during the activities of Orientation weekend. I cherish these relationships just as much as I benefit from the academic life of Fox. These relationships have molded me and changed me. And I remember where these relationships started: the beginning.


Take some time during your Orientation experience to branch out and meet new people. Get to know the people that you might never haved talked to in high school or would have passed by on the street. You never know how these new people will impact your life.


-- Jessie Sarver--
Junior Orientation Co-Coordinator