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The whirlwind of emotions I found myself feeling during the spring of my senior year of high school, as I was preparing to make a decision about where I would spend the next four years of my life was incredibly overwhelming, to say the very least.

I’m sure that many can relate to the countless hours I spent on the internet, on college social media pages, YouTube channels, and anywhere else I could seek out information about a school, and more specifically, about the authentic student experience.

When I finally visited Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, the tour sealed the deal for me. Getting the chance to hear from a current student, and on a deeper level, feel immediately welcomed into the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ community in my very first steps onto campus confirmed for me that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ was the place I wanted to be. Hearing a student tell stories about an academic culture that empowered them to push themself for the pure love of learning was what I had been looking for all along. My tour guide told us about their favorite hidden spots on campus, places that I still think about when I’m walking to class, and seeing them wave at friends, say hi to professors, and share their experiences with every aspect of life on campus affirmed to me that this was a community I wanted to be a part of.

At the end of my tour, I vividly remember my tour guide stopping the group to congratulate us on our Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ acceptances, assuring us that no matter where we ended up, the drive and passion that brought us to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ in the first place would allow us to accomplish whatever we were striving for. I think about that a lot, remembering this sincere encouragement from a student I had just met, a tour guide who was passionate enough about Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ to want to share their own love of the school with admitted students in the middle of a very overwhelming decision process. 

I committed to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ the evening after my tour, feeling confident that I had made the right choice.

A year later, when I ended up becoming friends with my tour guide by pure coincidence, I shared with them how they very honestly helped me make my final college decision and played a massive part in my sheer excitement and readiness to enter the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ community. Reflecting on my journey, going from being an admitted student, nervous about how I could ever be sure if a school was a good fit for me, to a committed student, positive that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ was a place I could thrive, had so much to do with my tour, my guide, and the feelings of warmth and connection I experienced on that rainy April morning.

"My hope is that I can give prospective students a real look at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, one that allows them to take a deep breath and imagine themselves in this community..."

My sophomore year at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, feeling so connected and in tune with the community that I had wished for and sought out in a college experience, I decided to apply to become a tour guide, in hopes of continuing the cycle of showcasing what it means to be a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ student, and how my own experiences, both on and off campus, have shaped me as a learner, thinker, and changemaker.

Now, as a tour guide, I have the chance to see the process of the college search from the other side.

Every time I give a tour, talk at an info session, or share my own experience as a representative of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, I think back to the nerves I felt during my own college process. Trying to find a school that fits you, not only academically, but socially and personally, can feel scary; it takes you not only knowing yourself but also trying to consider who you might be in the future.

As a tour guide, I remember exactly how that feels, and my hope is that I can give prospective students a real look at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, one that allows them to take a deep breath and imagine themselves in this community, one that has become a second home for me in the years since I first stepped on campus for my very own tour.