BY EVA AMESSé

In print | Published August 26, 2008

This semester I’ve returned to Swarthmore early as a CA leader and I am truly enjoying being on campus without the pressure of choosing classes, taking placement exams and learning how to navigate the campus. I am especially a fan of those “running-toward-each-other-smiling” hellos from my friends. Of course, last year this time I felt differently — as much as I loved what I had heard about Swat, I couldn’t help but wonder if it really was the perfect college for me. As an incoming freshman, I was really anxious about arriving on campus for orientation. I worried about how I would fit in at Swarthmore, what my living situation would be like and whether or not I would get along with my roommates, hallmates and RA. I even wondered whether it would be more appropriate to greet the people I would meet on my hall with a warm huge or with a more polite handshake.

My anxiety towards the overwhelming newness of everything was quickly eased by the warm welcome I received from both the new students and upperclassmen alike. The very first Swattie I “met” last year was Miyuki Baker ’11. As I sat in the backseat of the family Subaru a couple of miles down the road from Swarthmore, my family and I noticed a girl in the car next to me laughing at the amount of stuff crammed into our car. I had a feeling she was a Swattie, so at the next light I rolled down the window and nervously introduced myself. “Hi! I’m Eva. I’m a freshman.” I found out that she was a freshman too, but all her stuff was in her dad’s car. As the light turned green, we bid goodbye and I smiled knowing that there were so many more people to meet that day. Literally, the moment I stepped out of my car and into the parking lot two CAs were offering to help me move in and minutes later I remember my neighbor, Ambar Laforgia ’11, greeting me with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. I was slightly shocked at her immediate affection towards me, but very thankful that someone skipped out on that awkward “nice to meet you” head nod. The fact that people were happy to meet me during orientation and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me was a pretty big deal. For me, this spoke to the level of respect students have for each other at Swarthmore and it eased my concerns about being the “new kid” on campus.

One of my favorite bonding activities during last year’s Orientation was the unforgettable campus-wide Trust Walk. At first it was terrifying and I kept kicking all sorts of people and objects, but after the first fifteen minutes my group got the hang of things and started to warn each other before going up staircases or jumping over curbs. I can still remember hearing my group marching all over campus singing “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” and hearing lots of laughter from passing CA groups. I was in complete awe when we arrived at the secret destination and we were asked to do some self-reflection as a class. I felt that my inhibitions to trust the students around me and act like myself were erased when we were all blind (literally) in this somewhat awkward and slightly scary situation together. Trust makes relationships work and it seems to be something that Swat prides itself on, and so I thought that this was a great way to bring the entire class together for something fun while simultaneously introducing the freshman to a community where trust and honesty are valued and the students are treated like adults.

First Collection also helped instill in me an idea of what Swat’s unique sense of community was really like. I can still remember exactly where I was sitting in the amphitheater, the way the lighting of all 365 candles evoked this warm feeling of connectedness and how our attempt to learn Swarthmore’s Alma Mater lightened the mood and brought a smile to the candle lit faces. I also felt an awesome sense of community while watching “The Graduate” with the entire student population the night before classes started. Hearing the seniors singing along to “The Sound of Silence” and shouting out their favorite lines made appreciative of this small school where I could share all of these quirky cool traditions with so many intelligent and interesting people. I believe that the Orientation traditions help create memories, make great first impressions and reinforce the great things about Swarthmore’s open-minded and close-knit community.

As for my initial fear of not fitting in, it didn’t take me to long to find students I could relate to; many of the people I spent time with during Orientation are my best friends here, and while others have sort of dropped off my radar, I do run into them at Tarble, where we remind each other of how much fun we had on our Trust Walk or agree how ridiculous it is that we never see each other anymore. My Orientation experience had its moments, feelings of homesickness, confusion about the course lottery process, and even fear of not finding a seat in Sharples, but the good certainly outweighed the bad. Now, as a CA, WAM and sophomore I hope to give the first-years a warm welcome, provide them with the support I appreciated so much, and honor the Swarthmore traditions that make this place so unique.

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