Before I moved in my freshman year, every thought possible ran through my head. I had seen so many movies about how it was supposed to go, and I didn't really know what to expect. Ever since my first tour at Ashland University, I fell in love with the campus. I loved the layout; I loved the vibe. I just knew it was the place I wanted to be. Orientation Weekend rolled around and I was anxious about fitting in.
I remember the purple polos approaching me, and I was definitely not in my comfort zone. Somewhere between ice breakers and campus tours, I felt closer to my O-Teamer and my group. I was making friends. It was then that I realized that the O-Team isn't just here to provide a tour for your class schedule or to direct you to your Title IX meeting. They're there to inspire everyone who walks onto campus, and they act as the number one cheerleaders for incoming students.
January came around. My second semester started. I had been struggling to make the high school to college transition a positive experience, and I needed an outlet. I saw a poster around campus to interview for the Orientation Team, and I remembered that they all seemed so close and welcoming. Even though I was very afraid of rejection, what did I really have to lose? After three interviews, the process was complete and I was able to call myself part of the Team.
We started getting to know each other, and all got super close, super fast. We're a family. It's refreshing to have a group of people that I can count on to have my back when I need them, especially since we all share the same goal- to make sure the incoming students are as prepared as they can be. To me, O-Team isn't a job, (I mean, of course it is, I get paid for it), but it's an activity.
We spend months working on what to do for the next summers' orientations. We act out skits, we come up with dance routines, and none of it is a chore. Orientation Weekend approached and I got to know my group. (Team Hospitality, whoop whoop)! We all took group selfies, sprayed ourself with my perfume so we were all uniform, and just overall had a great time. I made sure they knew I was always there for them, no matter what, and I made sure they knew that they have a friend in me.
For months into the year, my cute Team Hospitality would smile and wave at me and scream my name at lunch or in my dorm, and they're all still friends. All I wanted out of this job was to make a difference in just one of their lives, and it looked like I had done just that. We began to interview new O-Team candidates, and one of my freshmen was accepted. She wrote once "Happy to announce that I am officially an O-Teamer here at Ashland and I'm so excited to give incoming freshmen the same wonderful experience that my amazing O-Teamer, Nicole Paradis gave me! Here's to a great year to come!", and I couldn't be prouder.
We all bleed purple and gold. We rock the purple polo.
