So, I’ve been a little MIA this week, & although my blog may have suffered, it was worth it to see the slightly terrified faces of the new students as we assaulted them with Pepperdine spirit during NSO! Like most schools, Pepperdine has an orientation week for their new incoming students, so because this is my last year at Pepperdine (*pinches self*) I decided a great way to kick it off would be to be an orientation leader & welcome the new students to the Waves family. So, I ended my summer a little early & packed up to go back to California to start training.

Each day of training had a different theme, but I think our favourite was “nerd day” cause we Thetas got to show off our hard-earned scholarship shirts!

In training we learned everything we needed to know to answer all the freshies’ questions & make them feel at home. Before we knew it though, training was over & it was move in day. We were in Rho at 6am, coffee in hand & ready to go.

We cheered on each car as they passed & worked as a team to empty cars, trucks & UHauls stuffed with suitcases & dorm supplies into their new home for the year. Parents were completely stunned when we told them they didn’t have to carry in any of the boxes they had strategically positioned in the car.

Of course AKB took a victory lap in his golf cart.

Even though Tuesday was probably one of the longest days of my life, I loved it. By the time we cheered on the last car & moved in the last printer, even though I was completely exhausted, I felt totally rewarded just by the look on the freshmen & their families’ faces. This mum in particular was my favourite. Her face alone was all the payment we needed (well, almost. I would never really turn down free food of any kind…).

The rest of the week was filled with presentations, excursions & of course plenty of cheering & dancing. However, as I witnessed them conquer their first staircase, helped them ride the shuttle for the first time & watched as their parents said their goodbyes, I felt my time at Pepperdine coming full circle. It honestly feels like yesterday that I watched my mum drive away bawling, & I now know why people tell you to enjoy your college years. I have had so many amazing opportunities & have done things I never thought I would. If you had told me four years ago that I would be going to school in Malibu, have lived abroad in Switzerland for a year & be the president of a sorority, I would have told that you had the wrong number & hung up. Although there have been some rough patches, I can’t imagine how different a person I would be without Pepperdine. So freshmen, although it sounds so cheesy & you’ll hear it from everyone, appreciate every moment, seize every opportunity & never set boundaries on who you are or who you could be. Oh, & don’t blink, cause four years might just pass you by.