Looking Back

By: Paige Kleinfelder '14

This past Saturday, I somehow got out of bed at 6:00am. Not because I am crazy and like to get up early, but because it was Honor Scholar Day. Having just received my congratulatory Gold Key letter in the mail a few weeks prior, I was on my way through the steps of training which included decorating for and working during Honor Scholar Day. So, I managed to get up, get dressed in my purple polo and khaki pants and walk to the campus center to meet up with other sleepy-eyed Gold Keys. Luckily, there were donuts and coffee.

Everyone was slightly more awake after breakfast and assignments were given out. I, along with half a dozen other people, was given the task of tying balloons together for the balloon arch. We were shown how two balloons had to be tied together. Then, the pair of balloons were to be twisted with another set. Sounds easy right? But try it while still not fully awake. There were a few balloons that tried to make a getaway, but, in the end, the arch was completed, the balloon centerpieces were perfectly tiered, and the posters were up.

Then came the difficult part: Mingling.

Okay, it isn’t that difficult, but when you have to approach high school seniors who are so nervous they can barely give one word responses the mingling can be intimidating. I just kept thinking back to last year when I was standing there surrounded by 150 other students as my mom teased me about trying to get me to take a picture with the Soaring Eagle. I was terrified of college. So, I understood the students who stood, looking around without saying anything. I let them take it all in and then asked them simple questions, like what award they received, what they planned to major in, or where they were from.

By the time lunch rolled around, everyone was more comfortable. I stood by my assigned table and waited to greet the families who would be sitting with me. Two girls sat at my table and for a while it felt like I was the only person talking. But I just kept going, asking questions and talking about my experiences at Elmira College. Then, all of a sudden, everyone started talking to each other. The students were talking, the parents were talking, and I was able to answer any questions they asked. It felt good knowing that I had an influence on one of their first experiences at EC.

By the end of the day, after decorating, cleaning up, going to lunch, answering questions, listening to speeches, and shadowing a tour of campus, I wasn’t sure I could manage to walk back to my dorm before falling asleep. As I sat in my room later that night, I thought about the day and how it was a refreshing view of EC. I was able to remember all the reasons that I talked about Elmira College constantly to my friends and family last year. In the midst of the stress and anticipation for Spring Break, it was nice to see so many students eager to come here.