Finding My People at Hope

Finding your “people” in college was one of the most intimidating things about college. It was a fresh start for me, a fresh start for everyone. I had a lot of questions, things like:  Will I find people who like me and have similar interests? Will I grow in my faith through my friends? Will …

Midterm Thoughts

It’s the Sunday night before midterm week. No one feels like getting anything done, but papers are due tomorrow and exams are looming ahead and pre-labs and readings and writing workshops—all the usual work—are piled up on the floor next to where you’re watching your hall mate slide down the stairs penguin style.   Others …

Major Life Decisions: Choosing Friends

Last week my friends and I took a major step forward in our relationship – we got fish together. It all began with a trip to Meijer. We stood before the wall of glass tanks filled with colorful fish contemplating who we wanted to take home as our new friends. We made sure to be …

Last Spring Fling in a Week

The countdown to the end of the school year has officially started! For the seniors out there, it means the final days of college. I know I have friends who are excited to be moving on, but more often than not, most people are scared either because they don’t have jobs lined up or they …

Mid-Winter Break Excursions

This week sure flew by! I’ve spent more time in Chicago this week than Michigan, mainly because it was our mid-winter break. Instead of sitting around Holland while all of my friends went home, I decided to make my own plans with friends and family. This was probably one of the most jam-packed weekends I’ve …

Friends or Family?

Welcome back, Hope College! I hope you all had a wonderful break and are ready to start a new semester fresh! If you’re like me, it was bittersweet coming back to school. You’ve just spent all of your much-deserved vacation bonding with your family over Christmas dinner and mingling with your high school friends while …

One Month In

Time flies when you’re at college, right? Well, it sure does for me. I mean, we are already more than one month in for Fall Semester. What’s even scarier for me is that I am a senior, and next week is October. Crazy. During my first month at Hope, a lot has happened! For starters, …

Friends Are Worth Waiting For

I have always been the type of person who is shy at first around people. It’s mostly because I am too guarded to immediately open myself up around those I don’t know well. So coming in my freshman year not knowing anyone besides my friend Jasmine, I had my guard up even more than before. …

What to Bring: Social Edition

The greatest casualty of your college career may take place within the first few days of your existence on campus. Yikes! It sounds scary – but it’s simpler than it seems. It can be avoided with this one easy step: be social. You see, it’s easy to be wrapped up in the change – there’s …

Spring Semester Highlights

Okay, friends. This is my last post for the semester 🙁 It’s crazy to think that at this time tomorrow, I will be unpacking my stuff at home and I’ll be getting ready for Vienna. My junior year just flew by, and in less than 24 hours, I’ll be officially a senior. Life, STOP! Well, …