Friends and Family Weekend 2012, retrospective from last week’s post…
Friends and Family Weekend is supposed to be a time where the campus community opens up to students’ loved ones (as well as alums) and shows them the incredible experiences to which we are exposed to – including lectures, sports games, etc. Unfortunately, for many students, Friends and Family Weekend can be a source of homesickness.
Last year, my family wasn’t aware of homecoming until it was too late to book a reasonably priced flight, so the weekend came and went and so did a little piece of my heart. Fortunately, my Mezcla siblings, recognizing my sadness, invited me into their friend groups and gave me a valuable piece of wisdom – “someone else’s happiness should not take away from your own.”
So…I headed out, blue face paint in hand and Wellesley spirit within, to the homecoming games. I went to see rugby, soccer, field hockey, softball, and volleyball – just to name a few. Along the way, I gained a loudspeaker, a foam finger, a rain poncho, and a vuvuzela. I lost my voice, made some friends, and saw my sadness transform to excitement. Instead, I participated in celebrating the joys of a new school year with my new siblings, and I will forever treasure those memories.
If you ever find yourself asking “Why Wellesley?” – don’t hesitate to write down community as one of your reasons. Even if you’re attending all of these events by yourself, you’re always still a part of something bigger – the Wellesley Siblinghood.
Con mucho amor,
Estefania, your first Wellesley sibling