can we talk about how much i love orientation?

Let's.

Understand, I'm no Ambassador, no orientation leader that leads soon-to-be freshmen from session to session, playing ice breaker games and entertaining them. I'm certainly no session leader, who gets the students (or their parents) engaged enough to be excited about school in the fall. My role is almost entirely behind the scenes, and the only people I meet (or at least met today, at our first Advising/Registration session) were parents and the one student who was so excited about involvement that she came in to the office even though it wasn't on their schedule, but I love orientation.

I love it.

I love everything from stuffing folders to printing name tags to putting together signs for the Ambassadors. I love running errands, setting up lunch, sitting down in the office for five minutes just to jump up and run across campus, and I really, really love tabling. I love tabling so much.

"Hi! How was your tour?....Oh, I'm so glad. Well, we are the Office of Student Involvement, and we house all kinds of things. There are over 45 clubs on campus, and we work largely with them, but also do a lot of leadership programming and put on some great events. Plus, our recreation department is housed within our office, and they have intramural sports, all kinds of trips, and even run the fitness center, which is currently being remodeled but will be open in the fall."

AHH. I have never loved anything so much as I love tabling. I have tabled a lot, especially while I worked for ONE, but also while I was with our student government, and it just keeps getting better. You make that connection ("Oh, your student likes paintball? Our rec office does a paintball trip every year, and if he can find four other students and an advisor, he could start a paintball club.") and just chat with them. Most people will take something if you connect, and while I prefer to talk to students, parents are just as fun.

I felt so accomplished today. And I don't even know where my day went, which is a great feeling when it is because you have been doing so much. This whole week has been absolutely amazing. Busy, nerve-wracking, but amazing. I can't wait for the next Advising/Registration session, and I really can't wait for Orientation in August.

This entire internship is so perfect for me. I love every. single. second. I love my relationship with my boss, with the intern that I share a desk with, with the other staff in the office. I love what I am getting to do; the meetings that I get to be part of, the events that I am going to be putting on. I am on such a high from orientation today - is this what it is going to be like all year? God, I hope so.