“James, are you doing NSL again?” The answer was an easy yes.

The two weeks that I spent at Fairfield last June were my two favorite weeks that I ever had at college, so why would I pass on an opportunity to do it again? At Fairfield, a New Student Leader leads a group of first-year students through orientation, their first few days in the fall and then through the first semester, teaching a class to those students that they led at orientation.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that my first year at college wasn’t the best, and becoming an NSL last year definitely helped me improve my college experience. I became friends with so many other NSLs, I formed legitimate relationships with my students and I just really enjoyed my time during training. My expectations were set high and I was nervous that the newbies would not be receptive to the returners. However, I was never so wrong in my life. My expectations were fulfilled and I was able to form many friendships these past two weeks. I never would have thought that I would gain 68 new friends and that those relationships would have such a positive effect on me. I felt like the real me again, always joking around and trying to make people smile. It also affirmed in me that moving past the rough time that I had during my first year and staying at Fairfield was absolutely the correct decision.

I was extremely fortunate to have gotten close to so many people because of their amazing characteristics. The NSLs this year were so friendly, compassionate, inclusive, caring and overall amazing. There were a lot more newbies than returners and a lot more rising sophomores than rising juniors or seniors, but I never felt like there was any type of divide between us. Going into the training, I was not convinced that there would be an inclusive group dynamic because there were so few returners, and they were crucial last year in bonding the group. However, I was proven wrong again. The NSLs are so awesome and every single incoming first-year student at Fairfield is lucky to have anyone on the team as their NSL.

Being an NSL last year taught me so much about myself, and I didn’t think that the second time around would teach me things that I didn’t already know, but I was proven wrong yet again. I learned that I can make a difference to people. I learned that I can collaborate with others effectively. I learned that I can help bring others together. I learned that it’s up to me to change my own destiny and create a positive experience for myself. I learned that being an NSL again was the best decision that I have made all year because of all the people that I met. I learned what Stags like.

Of course, I did really enjoy the two orientation sessions, but I enjoyed training more because I was able to hang out with the other incredible team members every day from 8 a.m. until after midnight. The Dunkin runs, ice cream trips, NSL for a Day, icebreakers and flash mob practices were some of the most unforgettable moments of the experience. Being an NSL was already the highlight of my summer, and I know that it will remain the highlight of my summer. When I wrote a similar article last year, I finished with: “We get a stipend at the end of orientation and someone who did the math said we make like 32 cents an hour. But honestly, I would have paid Fairfield my 32 cents an hour just to be able to have this experience.” I am here to say that my statement is still true. Thank you to everyone on Team 21 for everything that you did for me this week and for making being an NSL my favorite thing at Fairfield.