As I sit in my dorm, the eve of classes of my junior year, I find myself wishing new student orientation didn’t have to end. Being on orientation staff was everything I expected and more. I got to welcome the new students, give advice about being a student at Pratt, and go on awesome trips. But what I didn’t expect was the bonds that I created with every single person on the staff. I already knew a lot of people from Greek Life that were on OStaff, but my bonds with them strengthened as well as developed new bonds to everyone I didn’t know. “I don’t want it to endddddddd!!!!” was a phrase I heard too often during the last few days of orientation. These past two weeks have gone by so quickly.

Before joining OStaff, my only expectations were to guide the new students and go on fun trips. I was very nervous when the new students came, especially because this year’s incoming class is the largest there’s ever been. I think some outgoing people can understand what I mean when I say that just because someone is loud doesn’t mean they don’t get nervous. I was nervous. But the positive support from my fellow ostaffers was overwhelmingly wonderful.

I also enjoyed getting to see the new student’s blossom over the week from not knowing where buildings were on campus, to walking around no longer having to use their maps. It’s an interesting dynamic when the incoming class is a mixture of recent high school graduates, international students, transfer students, and graduate students. Sometimes it felt like I was giving upperclassmen wisdom to freshmen, or feeling slightly intimidated by the graduate students. Either way, it was an experience I’m happy I was able to have and can’t wait to do again next year.

I continue to sit here, thinking about how I spent the past two weeks with these people. Being a Pratt student, I already know how busy everyone’s schedules can get. So I hope that the bonds that we created continue to grow throughout my Pratt experience.