The Purpose of Homecoming

What an amazing two weeks! Since I’ve last talked to you guys, two football games have gone down to the wire, my brother came into town, and a torn shoulder muscle have all been apart of my life since Family and Friends Weekend. Not too mention, I went through the first half of midterms last week, with the second half this week. It’s just hard to believe that this year has flown by so fast. One of the ways that I was quickly reminded how fast it went, was the emergence of Homecoming Royalty application deadlines yesterday. Yep, I totally spaced it.

However, I’m cool with not filling out an application for Homecoming Court. I feel my recognition is coming on May 9th. I’m content knowing I worked in several areas around campus and helped countless of students. That’s recognition enough for me. But understand that I had it in high school. Some people didn’t get that chance to be recognized by the people they served and sacrificed themselves for their organization. They deserve the recognition so much more than I do. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty, and been extremely more involved in campus life than I. They are the visible ones that you see on a daily basis of this university. I’m behind the scenes and I like it. The attention isn’t for me. Well, sometimes and my friends know why and the circumstances that can override that.

Seriously though, make sure you look at the Homecoming Royalty 2008 class. Participate in the activities for it’s only a week and a half away. This is my last homecoming here as an undergraduate. Wow, I’m still trying to embrace my mind around that. Four down and the last coming up. I remember watching those Royalty members my freshmen year, thinking in the back of my mind that I could never do a fraction of what they did for this campus community. Needless to say, I befriended most of them, picked their brains, and was able to organize my vision for this university. It wasn’t always right, but it was at least a start. Not a single person is perfect that will be on Court this year, neither in years to come. The way to get there is to inspire others, getting involved, and doing the best you can to be successful, however you see fit. President Norton told us last week that we make up this university. It is through your motivation and drive that develops this place to be one of the best in the country. Get started now and I promise you, others will be knocking down the door to nominate you.

Can You Handle It?

Are you ready for some football?!! My last Family and Friends Weekend and the opening home football game and I’m still as excited as I was my freshman year. This year is going to be a bit different because some of my closest friends, who are now alumni, will be hanging out with me to watch the game. Tailgating, seeing people I haven’t seen in months, and just taking in the atmosphere of a campus united with the unveiling of another football season is just amazing. It’s definitely unexplainable and requires it to be experienced.

As I’m actually preparing for the game now, I started to think that after all the games that I’ve been to this is probably one of the most special to me. I talked with some of the players earlier this week and they are just as excited as me. Not going to lie, it’d be nice to have a winning season on my last year, but most importantly people and players are getting along. People are excited to be apart of UNC. It’s an honor to see because it wasn’t here when I started. It was difficult to get Bear Pride off the ground and now that it has momentum, I can enjoy the game with enthusiasm with so many others now. What else can you say but, GO BEARS!!

In case of emergency.....

This may sound petty to you, but this has really made my Tuesday! I’m not too happy with UNC right now. Here’s the reason why. So we have this new text message emergency system that is supposed to be campus-wide and alert all of those who signed up for the service in less than 5 minutes. Well, the test run was today and lo’ and behold, I’m working in the office when the test is going off. The office phone rings, as well as my boss and others in the office. Then, the other student workers got the luxury of getting a text message from UNC. I was the only one left out of the group! What’s up with that?! But, I’ll get over it and continue to tell myself that every new thing has to work out the kinks and find its way. Hopefully you’ll get that later.

On a brighter note, I had an opportunity to be in the first meeting for the Black Student Alliance this year. Sitting there watching the freshmen figure out why they’re there and what they can offer is truly an amazing thing to see. Better yet, I think the amazing thing for me was literally being able to sit there and actually be a regular member and almost pass the torch off to the new generation of leaders on campus. It was an amazing thing to watch their hope and ambitions hit the ground running, while they tried to set plans of action to get the rest of the group engaged. That my friends, is no easy feat yet it is essential to development.

I’m looking forward to just offering advice and guidance when asked, rather than having the responsibility of making sure everything goes at least somewhat as planned. The challenge I’m giving myself is to see how long this sit back and watch game is going to last. Hopefully it will last until at least until May 8 because my graduation is definitely not going to be one of relaxation.

To My Out-of-State Students...

Normally I find a way to encompass everyone when talking about my experiences here at UNC. However, I now understand the challenges of not being around your family during difficult times. I spent my first Labor Day away from my family last year, which is also the first holiday that most students from out of state who struggle with because they can’t just get in the car and drive home in two hours. Thankfully, I was able to surround myself with my friends last year to help me pass the time and not think too much about it. But, this past weekend, my entire family on my mom’s side was able to come back to Omaha and have our own mini-family reunion. Everyone made it back, except me and my brother, who is active duty military. To have my family, which includes my cousins, five aunts, and two uncles and their spouses, in one city eating together and hanging out with each other is definitely a task in itself. As you can see, a big family produces strong family ties and bonds.
At the same time, amidst family time and connection via the speakerphone on my cell, I was able to be a part of it in my own way. Unfortunately, speakerphones don’t replace the elements of being there with your family when crisis arises. Though my parents and other family members attempted to keep me up-to-date with the latest news and updates, it felt like it wasn’t enough. I just wasn’t there. As sappy as it sounds, I wasn’t there to comfort the people that made me who I am today. It’s tough and it’s a difficult place to be in. You want to do, but you can’t do what you want to do because of a thing called distance.
Yet, when the dust settles, you find out how strong those family ties and bonds truly are when you’re away. Not only that, it forced me to take a step back and ask myself some pivotal questions. What would I do differently to prevent the situation? What were their reactions? Was my reaction too over the top? Despite the hundreds of questions and scenarios that ran through my mind, I was able to come to one humbling question. Did my family invest in me enough to be strong through this, without them being there? Not to brag, but my family did an amazing job getting to where I am today. They gave me the necessary tools and most importantly, the hope that I can get a college education. That is their top priority. After talking to them, they reassured me that I’m not excluded, but my role has now changed.