Reflecting upon the Summer Bridge, I now understand the value of developing relationships as a student and individual. Coming into the two-week summer bridge, we were all strangers. By the end of the first two days, the bond we had created was unimaginable. Even now, three weeks past the summer bridge, we still have a bond that we all can call upon one another for help and someone will answer the call.
During the first week of the bridge, all sixteen of us shared a house on Longwood’s property in Montross, VA. At first, we were all strangers. By the end of that first day, our bond had already been created. During the second day, we recreated the picture that the first cohort of scholars taken to the farm.
It was at this moment that our bond solidified and we all truly became a second family for each other. Throughout the rest of the time at the farm, our bond never faltered, it only grew stronger and stronger. During the last days at the farm, we took one last photo as a group. From then on, we always stayed together as a group.
The bond we had not only provided everyone with a form of communication but support and encouragement as well. An experience that I personally had with this is when we took to the bay to take samples and learn about some of the hidden problems with it. During our time on the boat, we were able to take fresh oysters from the bay and eat them. I personally was skeptical about trying one. However, some of the friends that I made during the trip encouraged me to try it. Without them, I more than likely would have never had that experience.
Coming into the second week of the summer bridge, people were able to spot that we all knew each other already. Even now, three weeks later, we are still just as close as we were when we first all met. It has made an unimaginable impact on my first weeks as a freshman. If I had not been accepted into Life Stem, I fully believe that my first few weeks would have been immensely different.