It's a significant time of the year in these 20's days of August, for it was 10 years ago during this time that I commenced my time as a student at Valparaiso University.
I moved in on Saturday, August 22. On Tuesday, August 25, I began my classes, starting with my Christ College class at 9:05 AM CDT.
In the gap between those days, my college experience started to leave an impactful imprint upon me.
I had spent much of my time up to that point in school, with one grade following another, and one level of school following another. I went to college thinking I was just taking the next step in my education, not fully conceiving the entire experience and lifestyle I would have living long-term away from home and full-time on the campus of ValpU.
There was a lot on campus outside of classes that would enrich my experience and my life in general. The first way I experienced this happened on that Sunday morning, August 23. I went to the lobby of my residence hall, Lankenau, along with other new freshmen students, to meet two older students wearing shirts that read, "Follow Mii to St. Teresa's" with a Mii figure of Jesus.
A few minutes later, they escorted us on a 1-minute walk over to St. Teresa's to attend our very first Mass there at 11 AM. That one hour totally transformed my life, allowing me to experience faith like I never had before, in a community of people who were passionately loving God and living out faith in a church that was focused on loving and supporting students. I had had experiences before in Church that were impactful, but attending Mass at St. Teresa's took it to a whole different level. I was deeply drawn with a strong desire to be part of this kind of community, where I could truly experience God's presence alive. For my four years at ValpU, St. Teresa's became a very important part of my life. For one, while I was always drawn to attending Mass, during my college years, Mass was something I was excited about. And my faith grew in other ways, as I lectored and participated in other spiritual activities there, most especially a service/mission trip to St. Augustine during my 4th year.
I continue to feel the impact of St. Teresa's: Upon leaving college, I was eager to channel my newfound passion for faith. I started teaching Religious Education for middle schoolers, eager to inspire faith in the students in my charge, just as I was inspired when their age, and then inspired anew during my college years. I've continue teaching each year since graduating. Teaching RE connects me with the times in my life when I was set ablaze with passion for faith. It indeed touches something deeply profound within me, especially this past year, for when they graduated from 8th grade, I recognized that they were born around the time that I graduated from 8th grade, an occasion that capped a profound character development in my life, just like happened when I was at ValpU. Indeed, there are many parallels between my years at Julian Middle School and ValpU.
The impact also continues as my relationship with Dan and Ann Ruggaber has not let up one bit. I enjoy visiting with them when I go back to Valparaiso, and they keep me connected, even as my friends who I knew there have moved on. It's been a delight celebrating the milestones in each other's lives.
I also have a close group of friends with whom I maintain regular contact. The friendships I forged with them during those early days at ValpU went to deeper levels than any other friendships I had ever had, the kind of "kindred spirit" friends that my Abuela talks about.
My long-time roommate Zach was one friend I can remember deliberately meeting. Many of my other friendships just happened to start up because we were near each other and just started striking up conversation. That is especially the case with my friend Richard. We were both meteorology majors, and after attending a pre-first day of class session to hear from the professors, we both elected to join a small group tour of the meteorology major areas, led by the staff meteorologist Adam Stepanek. We then just found ourselves talking--that's the only way I can really explain how our friendship started, that it just happened.
So in just those couple of days before classes officially started, ValpU already started having an enormous impact on me, and that set me up for the impact my classes would. As I reflect 10 years later from when I started at ValpU, I think about what stood out most, the values-based education I would get there. The noble values of learning with purpose really resonated with me. It's kind of something I experienced in middle school, when I could see how my education would connect with life at large and gave it meaning. After 4 years of high school that seriously lacked a strong connection with values, I really flourished in the college environment, where our learning was driven with values and purpose.
Those values were embedded into the design of the shield that debuted as part of the new brand launched at the start of my 2nd year. And they were presented ceremoniously each year at the opening convocation in the late afternoon of the first day of classes.
And what a grand feeling it was for me on my first day of college to process into the Chapel. While my high school graduation ceremony may have been called a "commencement ceremony", walking into the Chapel with the other freshmen for the opening convocation really felt like a commencement ceremony. I was being welcomed into a community driven with purpose, and I strongly felt the sense of welcome everywhere.
I really flourished in that environment, as the experience touched me inside in so many ways. And that is why the impact continues.
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