Nothing compares to a campus full of students. The wonder and excitement in the faces of our freshmen reminds me why it so important to be in-person this fall. I remember that day â beginning my collegiate journey. Of course, I was already familiar with the university, having spent time with my grandfather in the hallways of Memorial Gym, but it was different. This was the beginning of my story. Each student brings their own story to the University of Idaho. But it is when that studentâs story converges into our university that great things happen. That begins with the embrace of the Vandal Family. Last weekâs âWeek of Welcomeâ helped students find their place in our family. Hours of work and dedication by our Student Involvement team resulted in welcome events with meaning. Megan Kingsley, a freshman from Nampa, hit campus knowing no one. But, she took a chance on a video gaming event hosted by the Office of Student Engagement â who put incredible thought into how to engage students amidst a pandemic. By the end of the night, she found a cohort that she engaged. The next night, this new group of friends walked together to the Screen on the Green movie and continued to hang out together â fast friends and forever touched by the Vandal Family. The horticulture and urban agriculture major chose U of I after visiting her brother â a 2019 alumnus â on campus. She liked what she saw and liked the price. With the help of some academic scholarships, Megan started classes ready to write her own Vandal story. Her story is already growing in a greenhouse near her residence hall. In week two of classes, her plant science class sowed seeds â hers were sugarbeets and carrots â and they will watch them grow and use them for their work this semester. Her Vandal roots are already secure in Moscow soil. I have no doubt there are hundreds of Megans on campus and across the state this fall, eager to write their stories. It is incumbent on us â all of us â to add to the blank pages. From instructors in the classrooms to alumni and donors supporting from afar, we each have a chapter in the stories of our newest Vandals â and what amazing stories they will be. |