BSU Blogfest 2012 Day 2!

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It may be a little late (12 hours! Woops! Blame busy Tuesday) but here it is:

Today's theme for the BSU Blogfest is Community!

I could go anywhere with this topic but the wonderful Cindy Kane, Advisor, Director of OSIL, and Mentor, gave me a great idea for today's theme.

I know I've talked about it before MANY times, but I was an Orientation Leader the past two summers. I worked with 32 other students in helping to welcome the newest members of the BSU community. Being an OL is a community in and of itself and that's what I'll talk a little about.

As an OL, you move into one of the residence halls on campus roughly a week after the last day of finals. When you move back, all the OLs live in the same hallway sharing rooms for about 2 weeks during training until it comes time to move throughout the building to be available for the students when they arrive for one of six different sessions offered throughout the span of 3 weeks.

During this time the OLs are living in our own little world. We share living space, have meals together, train and do work together, and work as a team to welcome the students. Those two weeks and the weeks following, you really get to know these people. It's an amazing time.

Especially after this past summer, I have become extremely close to so many of the OLs I worked with. I can call every single one of them a good friend of mine. When we all get together or even when a few of us get together I know we can all talk about whatever, trust one another, and know we'll have each others backs.

This position is unlike any job out there. It's hard to describe to someone what this job means. There are long hours, sometimes the students don't want to cooperate, sometimes there are good sessions and sometimes there are difficult ones. There are ups and downs mentally and emotionally, but when working in a community of people who are doing the same job you're doing and have your back makes it all worth it.

We welcomed 2,600 students to Bridgewater State last summer. Would I do it a third time?

Absolutely.