Colin Bent
Equinox Staff
I often think students wonder why orientation leaders would spend so much of their summer breaks on campus, dancing along Appian Way, rain or shine. I think that the time commitment is a large barrier for a lot of students. So why do so many of us do what we do? Why do many of us reapply year after year? The answer to that is different for every single orientation leader.
For some of us, it’s the chance to be a part of something that is greater than ourselves. The work that orientation leaders do puts them in a very unique position to shape the new generation of Keene State students. As the first faces that many students will meet on this campus, orientation leaders have the opportunity to really demonstrate what it means to be a Keene State student. Orientation staff provide students with a chance to make a difference, as we get the opportunity to make a positive influence on the students choosing to join our community. For a lot of orientation leaders, the opportunity to help Keene State continue to grow as a community drives our motivation to apply each year.
For many orientation leaders, there’s a sense of belonging that comes along with our position. When you join orientation staff, you’re joining a family that has your back throughout your lowest lows and your highest highs. On any given day you have at least 48 other people who you can reach out to for support. While that might sound overwhelming at first, when you make those connections with other members of the staff it’s comforting to know you’ll always have someone to lean on when you need it. The connections you make in this position will last throughout your time here at Keene State College.
Perhaps you might not have felt prepared when you came to college for the first time. This could be your opportunity to change that for someone else; you can be that support system for new students. Maybe you’re the opposite and you were completely ready to leave your parents and finally be on your own. So, you might want to help teach new students to be as confident as you were coming into college. Whatever your story is, you get to support students during their transition into college. Personally, I’ve always felt that this community does a really good job at providing a space for everyone and as part of the orientation staff you’ll have that opportunity to help students find the space that’s right for them.
All in all, this job is a lot of fun and you get to work with a lot of really amazing people. Of course, it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but what sets orientation apart from another summer job is that you can have fun and make a lot of friends along the way. You get the chance to meet someone new every day in this job, and really get to know them. You get to connect with people and provide new students with someone they can depend on when they need help. If you want to help make a positive impact on this campus, we hope that you would consider applying to orientation staff.
Colin Bent can be contacted at colin.bent.2013@gmail.com