Sophomore Courtney

I am a sophomore Sociology and Social Work double major from Michigan. I love Colorado State and my favorite part of Campus is the Oval, especially in the Fall. Along with being involved on campus, I enjoy spending time outdoors and hiking the mountains!


      Happy Halloween everyone! And happy beginning of November! May the countdown begin for Thanksgiving break, after this week we only have two more weeks of class to go! I hope all of you are having a great middle of the semester and are starting to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel for break. 

     As I walk across campus I have not been able to ignore all of the posters that are currently up promoting becoming an Orientation Leader or an Orientation Office Assistant with the OTP office on campus (sometimes covered in snow, sometimes glistening in the sun…figure it out, Colorado Weather!). Upon further research, I discovered that the office is currently hiring for leadership positions for next year. This got me thinking about my orientation experience. As an out of state student, I opted to come for a session the week before classes began to make my move-in as convenient as possible. I remember being welcomed to the university by a group of leaders who I truly looked up to as students who knew CSU like the back of their hands, and who were truly interested in sharing their experience with me. I remember aspiring to be a person like that simply because I could then feel pride in my university through and through. 

      I then began to think of the thousands of other leadership opportunities available on campus. CSU is one of those truly unique places in the amount of prospects it provides to its students who are looking to get involved. No matter what your fit or what level of involvement you are looking for, you can find it here. I think that many people forget that simply attending one of our football games or theatre performances counts as being involved on campus. You do not have to devote large portions of your time in order to show off some Ram Pride. 

     It was not until I became involved in the campus organizations that I am that I truly felt like I found my fit on campus. I was a bit lost my first year here because the extent of my college experience stretched from attending class and visiting the rec center for a work out every so often. I then decided to really push myself to get more involved in my experience and have since become involved with several campus organizations. Coming from me: that was the best decision I have ever made. We are all here to attend a great university and graduate with a degree. However, the college experience includes the learning that goes on outside of class as well. Campus organizations provided me with the leadership experience and self-growth that I will always look back on with fond memories of what college provided for me. 

      So, moral of this story: get involved! It doesn’t matter which way you do it, you can choose to stretch yourself and work with the Orientation office on campus if that sounds up your ally, join a club involved with your major, sign yourself up for an intramural team at the rec, or even just go and support some Ram athletics at one of our sporting events! Anyway, do whatever sounds like the right fit for you, but try to push yourself outside of your comfort level at the same time. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed and will have lasting memories because of it!