Yesterday, I went to my Student Government Association’s retreat. Due to my position as Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) SGA’s elected 2016-2017 executive treasurer, it is my duty to keep SGA’s finances in order. The retreat was an all-day event since it lasted from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. I will admit that in the beginning I was tired and I didn’t really know what to expect; however, I had a blast!

In my recent articles, I have been all about taking adventures and meeting new friends. Now, I can proudly say that I have taken my own advice and bonded with some great people. I have made friends with people that I normally wouldn’t, but it’s a great new friendship. We all bonded and sweated (some of us anyway) the day out. At one point, I had to put all my trust in my partner because I was blindfolded. Following my obstacle course, it was my time to guide my partner with the right directions.

The day went so well that a couple of girls and I decided to hang out outside of the retreat. Last night, there was the Riverwalk Music Festival downtown and we gathered up a group to go. The team and I hung up our “official polos” and went out into the city to bond more and have a good time. I drove my car and I was excited to get out and do something fun. The girls and I talked the whole night like we were old friends and I can honestly say that I can’t wait for us to grow closer. If a team can come together outside of the club, then I believe they can be unstoppable. We met up with other friends and it turned into a huge fun and social outing. I will always remember that night because we were just relaxing and having a genuine good time.

There was jazz, folk, rock and more at the festival. There was food everywhere and a great decent crowd. I put myself out there and got to meet different types of people. I even learned a lot about people I already knew. I was tired, but I was enjoying myself way too much to crawl back to my room. I don’t regret going out one bit.

Now, it is our last day spending time with each other until school starts back. I will admit it is a very bittersweet moment because we have all just got to know each other and won’t see each other until next time. However, I am so excited for what our club has to offer the campus and Montgomery community in the fall. I’ve said all of that to say this. The great advice you give to others can also apply to yourself. Make sure you make time to make the number one person happy, and that’s you. So go ahead and listen to yourself every once and a while. You just might surprise yourself.