Slesha Tuladhar
Equinox Staff
I kept saying that the color of the paint was wrong. Mark, a staff from the maintenance said, ”Give it some time, the new paint will blend with the old ones and it will give off the same color.” It was the Community Service Day.
We went to Keene housing, a place that gives shelter to several elderly people. The framework for the painting was already painted, we just had to fill in the spaces. I felt smart and stupid at the same time. Stupid, because I grew up playing with colors and paints as I love arts but could not figure out that the paint will blend in. And smart because a thought crossed my mind of how we can compare the new paints with the new students and it takes time for both to blend in with the environment.
Like the paint, we are transitioning towards our college life and I know it is hard for some people. But one way to smooth the transition is to get involved. Keene State College has a variety of activities for students to develop their academics and their leadership skills.
There are around 50 clubs running in our college: Sorority and Fraternity Life, works on campus and volunteering with different off campus organizations (MCVP, SCS, Community Kitchen, Keene housing, etc.) that you can get involved with.
Alternative breaks are another example of how we can get involved in the community and make an impact for a noble cause. Each alternative break is centered around an issue and a service project. It consists of national and international trips to places.
According to a newsletter on KSC’s official website, the students who tend to get involved are likely to persist until graduation, have higher GPAs and get a good sense of satisfaction from their college life. And I believe it, why not? Getting involved has so much to offer. You get to meet new people, some even become friends until graduation.
Nowadays people choose to stick their nose to their phone rather than talk with a person sitting beside them. And I understand that not everyone has the same skills of communication and being social. For such people, getting involved gives them a space to make new friends. It also helps you to figure out your interest.
Not only that, if you want to work after your graduation, it looks good on your resume. Likewise, it develops your confidence and leadership skills. Moreover, it makes you close to the college and makes you feel that the college is family.
Have you ever seen humans in the form of a knot? I hadn’t, until the Multicultural Leadership Retreat. We were about 13 people in two groups each, all strangers. My arms were tangled with others’, my wrist twisted, and it was such an uncomfortable situation for all of us.
However, it brought us together as a team. We couldn’t get it untangled at the end and we were all so sad that we lost. For the first time, strangers were feeling the same.
Today I am so glad that when I walk around KSC and bump into these strangers, they are not strangers anymore. I was able to make connection with incredible people and resources on campus through the retreat.
Moreover, I learned a lot in the retreat about teamwork, leadership, ownership and most importantly how to make s’mores. I know you probably must be thinking that I am a Cro Magnon right now, who does not know what s’mores are. But that is okay because had I known what s’mores were, I would not have been so close to the person who taught me how to roast a marshmallow. Right now while I am writing this, I could have watched a Netflix movie instead, but I will miss a chance of writing my first opinion for the first paper in my life. So, get involved! I am very excited for my future in KSC and I am excited for you.
Slesha Tuldahar can be contacted at Stuldahar@kscequinox.com
