Learning Experience- " Welcome to TCU"
I was thinking back on my weekend wondering what I have learned and what I could write about. It has been a pretty big weekend for me with working the TCU Spring Football Game and getting the opportunity to go to the Final Four Games on Saturday. It feels like its been a non- stop weekend. I believe the Spring Football Game was where I did my most learning.
Let me explain what I did/do for TCU Football. This semester I applied and got accepted to be a TCU Athletic Ambassador. This means I get to work with TCU's football recruits. I have the opportunity to give them tours of the stadium, answer their questions about TCU or TCU Football, address letters to them and more. In this job I am required to be confidential, accountable and professional. I am to show the recruits and their families what TCU is about. Not necessarily try to sell TCU to them but to show them exactly what TCU is. To show them our school pride, our football team's passion, the community's support, the family behind the team and the positive atmosphere that surrounds our team. Woohoo seems like a big job (it is!).
Saturday for the big Spring Football Game I had my first shot at being put into action with a recruit. The Spring Game brings in a lot recruits from all over to watch the open scrimmage. I had the opportunity to show around my first recruit and family this Saturday with my co- athletic Ambassador. You could say I was a bit nervous. I am still getting used to finding my way around the buildings. I was fortunate to have a great co who knew pretty much everything. She easily lead the group around the faculties. We luckily did not get lost.
We were with our prospects and their families for while. A lot of talking went on about TCU. I was afraid at first they were going to ask me lots of questions on football. Instead I got a lot of questions about TCU. For example things like: "Where do athletes live?", "Do people have meal plans?" or "How big are your classes?". I could easily answer these questions! And I enjoyed answering these questions! I love TCU and I get to give back to it by telling people how awesome. I had the opportunity to show how much I love TCU.
After the Spring Game was done and I was walking back to my dorm I realized just how much that made me happy. I enjoy talking to people. I enjoy sharing my knowledge. I enjoy making people laugh. To get the opportunity to work around the football coaches, to help them achieve their goals for the football team, to help high school students choose the right college for the fulfills me. It does mean I am giving up things. I am giving up time with my friends. I am giving up tailgating for games and going out with friends afterwards to celebrate a victory or mourn a lose. I am giving up my sleep on days like Saturday where we had to be there at 8am. Is all that worth it, yes. YES YES. If I am doing something that is bring me joy and a smile to my face (even as I think about it while I am typing) then yes it does.
Often in college I feel we do things because they build a resume or our friends say we should or our parents say we need to be more involved or an organization we are in tells us we should. I think finding at least one thing that fulfills you because you want it to Is key to success. Find something to get involved in for you because you love it. Getting involved in something for you means there is a reason to be here or a reason to stay. I think this can make or break a college career. If you don't find something to be involved in for you wither that's Athletics, a Greek organization, a club or the crew it can be easy to over work yourself, to get down on yourself, to feel like you don't have a reason for school besides work. Its hard to strive without something fun in your life. For example schools who have more time for physical education and fine arts have students who perform better in the content areas of the school. They enjoy school more and are willing to focus more time into their studies. I think the same applies for college kids. Their is a reason for doing well so that they can continue doing what they love.
I feel like I have found that organization. This is not to say I haven't found things I love doing out side of school yet but this really does fulfill me more. It's hard to describe. I just have a friend (while I am sitting here writing on her desk) ask me how it went. Before I even said anything she said, " Wow Darby your just light up and have a huge smile on your face, it must have gone really well". That smile and my excitement to share how much I enjoyed my first experience as TCU Athletic Ambassador says it all. I feel like this weekend I found something I love. I believe everyone needs to find this at TCU. Hopefully you all have already and if not keep looking. There is so much to do here everyone can find something. I know that sounds like a cheesy college slogan but I believe it is so true with the diversity of programs on TCU's campus. All you have to do is look around. Ask friends, look at posters on the walls, look at the TCU Announce, ask a teacher or see what's going on the Website.
It has been a wonderful weekend and wonderful learning experience.
Honestly Darby I never knew you did this type of stuff. I think it is awesome that you love what you do. You actually have a very important job for the university and looking at the past recruiting class y'all have done a good job.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very important to get involved with something outside of school. I think it is not only healthy for you to focus on other things but school, but also helpful for you socially as you get out and see the world. By going and talking to other people about TCU or what ever may be helps us understand not only things about ourselves and others, but about our home, TCU.
Darby, I loved reading about this learning experience! Your role as a TCU Athletic Ambassador seems like an incredible opportunity. Not only are you helping TCU by hopefully bringing both awesome students and athletes to the school, but you are also helping these incoming freshmen learn more about TCU… and how it’s the best school out there! It was so great to read about the joy and fulfillment that this new role brings for you, it sounds like you’ve really found something that you love. Your point about finding something you love to be involved in, as opposed to just doing it to build a resume, is something that all college students (including myself) need to hear. Here at TCU, we have so many opportunities to be involved in so many different things… why shouldn’t we take advantage of this and find something that we are truly passionate about!?
ReplyDeleteDarby, I loved reading about your experience as well! I think it's so great that you found something that truly is just for you and not simply a resume builder. Sometimes I feel like I'm so focused on resume building that I can hardly distinguish what I actually want anymore. I completely agree that we get so caught up in getting involved in things to make us look better that we forget to make time for things that we enjoy as well. I was in an interview today for a research position and I had a similar epiphany. The professor explained to me that he was looking for students who want to do the research and are passionate about it so they want to be there and put in extra hours and work to drive progress. At that moment I realized that I for the first time in I don't know how long, I hadn't even considered once how this research position would look to the med school admissions board. It was such a good feeling to be able to say with 100% confidence that I was there because I wanted to be.
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