As I start my sophomore year, I’ve come around to realize that I am surrounded by some pretty amazing people and I wouldn’t want to be around anyone else. I think it’s due time that I finally thank you all to celebrate the beginning of a new year.

First off, I have to thank the people I spent a whole weekend with nonstop, every one of the amazing LLC mentors I work with. Admittedly, I was kind of terrified going into training. Excited, definitely, but completely nervous. I knew very few of the other mentors going into training, yet right away I felt included. I was talking with people whose names I didn’t even know. I was finding commonalities. I was finding people who understood me. Obviously I knew the other mentors in my LLC, but I got to know them better. I was made to be around the other mentors too, by being put onto Olympic teams with mentors from all other LLCs. If anyone’s wondering, I was on Canada’s team and while we got third, we’re still the best!

Secondly, I have to thank the lovely ladies I have spent almost every waking minute with for a week straight preparing for our mentees and actually working with our mentees. You’d think after a week straight I would be sick of them, but honestly, they’re some of my favorite people. You guys are seriously so amazing and I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of mentors to work with as my first year being a mentor. I can’t wait to work with you guys even more!

I think next I need to finally thank all my friends who have slowly been coming back to campus. I’ve been waiting forever to see you guys (of course, if forever meant like four months). I can’t explain how excited I’ve been to see all of you as you’ve been moving back in. Pretty much the only reason I’ve been slightly excited for classes to start is because I get to see even more of you! I apologize in advance if I freak out and hug you right away and/or camp out in your room for at least two hours to catch up on things.

Lastly, I need to pose a thanks to my amazing mentees who I’ve hardly gotten to know yet but I can just tell how awesome you guys are. I really don’t think I could have asked for a better bunch for my first year as a mentor. I’m so looking forward to getting to know you all this year just so I can get to know how amazing you all are even better. I sincerely hope I can make you as happy here at Bloom as my mentors made me.

A question was posed during our training weekend: when did Bloomsburg first feel like home to you? You guys all make Bloomsburg feel like home to me (even though I live twenty minutes away), and I’m so happy for that.