As new members of the Honors College, we move in early to get acquainted with each other and the campus through an event called the Honors Retreat.  It spans over multiple days and keeps us so busy that we’re too tired to miss home by the end of the day.  Something that really surprised me was that one day of the retreat was to help clean a local horse farm dedicated to helping children with disabilities.  It was definitely not something I thought I’d be doing during my first few days at Longwood, but I am so thankful for that experience.  Although I did not understand it at the time, it was included in our Honors Retreat so that we got to experience a pillar of the Honors College as soon as possible.  It was their way of emphasizing how important service is to our organization.

I have always had a soft spot for volunteering with children.  In fact, I would say that most of the service that I do involves children.  In high school, I loved helping a local cheer team practice and create new routines.  At Longwood, I volunteered to judge a local cheer competition as well as work at the kid’s station during Alumni Day.  In the future, I hope to find a more continuous form of volunteering that allows me to explore other areas of service as well as open me up to more experiences.