I'm about to start my senior year at Wittenberg University and the thought of leaving this place makes me nauseous. I still haven't come to terms with the fact that I'm going to be finished with my four years at this wonderful place. I don't want to leave because Witt is home, but it wasn't home at first.
When I arrived as a terrified freshman a few short years ago, I felt like I didn't belong. I was excited for the idea of college, but scared to death of the real thing. But I lived (and grew and thrived), and you will, too. This is to you, students who will soon be arriving on our beautiful campus as freshmen, nervous and excited. Right now, this isn't where you feel comfortable, and that's okay. We're going to make this place your home.
It's going to be difficult in the beginning. College is the place to reinvent yourself, but no one ever tells you how hard that can be. That's okay. The truth is, you're going to make it through the awkward small talk, the hometown explanations, and the major questions. If you're uncomfortable, embrace it. Try to be as friendly as possible and take solace knowing others are uncomfortable too. You only get one chance to have this experience, so try to make it as memorable as possible. It's electrifying to be on your own! Sometimes you'll feel like you're drowning in freedom and responsibility, and that's alright, too. This is a fresh start and you're going to make it. You're going to find a home.
In the beginning, you won't know our favorite places to study, our favorite running routes, our favorite pizza from Mc's. You won't know the best paths to streak, the best time to hit the gym, the best Greek Week performances. You won't understand what it means to "Tiger Up!" You won't appreciate the importance of the Myers Hall steps. You won't know the significance of having light and passing it on to others.
But you will.
You'll learn our rivalries, our resilience, our pride. You'll grow to love our hollows and learn that our iconic red Adirondack chairs signal the changing of the seasons. You'll smile and say, "Hello!" to faces both familiar and unfamiliar, and you'll remember to hold doors. You'll fall in love with our brilliant and caring professors and have dinner in their homes. You'll join the rest of campus in the world of "over-involved and loving it." You'll make friends in different majors, dorms, teams, classes, and houses.
Your life is going to be irrevocably altered by attending this school, and we're going to guide you along your journey. You're going to meet the most intelligent, caring, driven, and friendly people, and they will become your closest friends.
You will be challenged. You will be encouraged. You will be supported. You will be surrounded by some of the best people in the world, and they will push you beyond your wildest dreams.
All of this will come with time because soon "them" and "they" will turn into "us" and "ours."
It will sound funny the first time you refer to Witt as "home." But it will grow on you. Home is where you are comfortable yet challenged. Home is the place you return to in times of stress and trouble. Home is where you belong. Home is a feeling.
Witt will be the backdrop of some of the best times of your life. Sometimes it will be hard, and that's okay because you'll be surrounded by people who love you.
You'll make it.
Together, we'll make it.
We're going to make this place your home.
So, let me be the first, but most certainly not the last, to welcome you home to Witt.
