Friday, April 1, 2011

A Case of the Big Scaries

Trying something new for the first time can be scary, whether it's a new sports team, a new barn, a new club or even bigger, more-permanent new things: a new town, a new school, a new house or a new job.

This past Saturday, we got to spend some time with a few of our incoming Equine Scholars. All students who were accepted to Georgetown College for the fall of 2011 were invited to campus to be recognized for their scholarships and to come to campus one more time before they enter as first-year students in the fall. 

After the students arrived on campus, they went to the Chapel, where Johnnie Johnson of Admissions and Dr. Crouch spoke briefly. Pictures were then taken by group: for example, all Equine Scholars and Global Scholars, recipients of the Christian Leadership scholarship, the Parks Baptist Scholarship, etc. There werea lot of flashes going off! We then headed into the Alumni gym to eat.

I was lucky enough to get to sit with Chelsea Kraus and Lindsey Woosley (who I keep wanting to call Lindsey Woolsey) and their families during dinner. In addition to getting to know these two fabulous girls better, I got to interact with their parents, something I really enjoy as I don't get to see them much!

When asked about what they were most looking forward to, these girls, and all our Scholars, really, seem to have the same answer: the freedom. When asked what they were most anxious about, the answer tends to be the same: the freedom. What originally is seen as a double-edged sword for our students ends up being their most-loved aspect of college ... the ability to choose.

It's rare to find someone who truly embraces change. I for one am not a fan, I love routine and love knowing exactly what I need to do and what is expected of me. College is a huge break from the "norm" for all of our students. All at once they find themselves without parental guidance on things like what to eat, when to study, when to go to bed and what to do with their free time. ("Free time" is a bit of an anomaly with horse people, as we all know -- every spare second we have tends to be occupied by our large, four-legged best friends!)

But really, college is not something to fear. It isn't a scary place, I promise! Georgetown College is not somewhere where you will feel all alone in a brand-new place. This small college is chock full of people who care about our students -- everyone from professors to staff (including us!) to the cafeteria workers (yay Miss Jo!) -- and who strive to make students feel welcomed and loved. Though your parents might not be with you here at college, you are not alone, by any means. Each person on this campus is here because they want to see you succeed and they truly care about each and every student on this campus.

While I can understand being afraid to make a big life change (or things like flying, spiders and public speaking), I can't understand what makes my horse afraid of some things. Like this Buford steer.

I mean, come on. This horse has been ridding in the ring while this thing was being pulled behind a four-wheeler and people were practicing roping on it -- never batted an eye. This weekend though, you would have thought I was asking him to walk into a ring with horse-eating monsters as reluctant as he was to simply be in the general vicinity of it. Horses. Sheesh. This is Iggy's "big scary." What's yours?