Focus on the Cultural Scene

From a senior citizen is finding a new life at the edge of her years.

Senior Connections Essay

'The most significant parts of my experience at Kalamazoo College did not necessarily occur in the classroom. While my classes; the things I learned, the professors I worked with, and the projects I did certainly contributed to my growth through my college career, I feel my biggest changes came from interactions outside of the classroom experience.

For me, coming to college meant living with people my own age for the first time in my life. It meant being away from home, being constantly surrounded by people who were very much like me, and making decisions completely independent from anyone else, parental or otherwise. My friends here have taught me what it is like to come from a socioeconomic, religious, or even just geographic background different than my own. While they are, for the most part, all from Michigan, they all have experiences so much different from my own, and they all bring with them a different outlook on life. They have taught me an infinite number of lessons, from how to dance to how to love. They are my “rocks”.

Of course, I have grown immensely from my more educational experiences as well. I had no idea at all what my major would be when I first entered college. It was only through taking a variety of course (a major plus of a liberal arts education) that I found my computer science major. The way I came about this major, however, was completely by chance. I had originally registered to take another class during the winter of my freshman year, and I decided partway through first week that I did not want to take that class after all. At that point there were very few classes still available, but one of my choices was one that my suitemate was taking, so I decided it would be a good chance to get to know her better. And thus, I enrolled in Introduction to Computer Science and decided I would like to try more classes like it.
Computer science has brought out in me the ability to think logically. I have an analytical mind, and have always enjoyed puzzles and math problems, and with computer science I have learned ways of wrapping my head around things that I had not thought of before. It has allowed me in my classes, and will allow me in my career, to use the type of thought processes that I enjoy most.

Another very influential aspect of my college experience was study abroad. Unlike many people’s experiences, I did not enjoy most of my time in Australia. I even left the country 2 months earlier than normal. I did not like being in Australia. I missed the challenge of my classes and I missed the way that my professors at K actually cared about me. I thought the area I lived was ugly. I didn’t like being dependent upon bus and train schedules. I didn’t like the fact that I lived with almost all Americans; that wasn’t why I went halfway around the world. I traveled to Australia hoping to have a real intercultural experience, but I felt very let down in this regard. Basically my expectations for study abroad were not met in any way at all. Looking back on study abroad I can now see what I learned from my 4 ½ month experience. I journeyed so far from home completely alone, without any of my friends or family who I normally depended on, and I survived! My “cultural” experience was not so cultural, but it did teach me a lot about myself and about what things I do and don’t want to have in my life. In that way, study abroad was a very beneficial experience.

I spent two years at K as a member of the women’s tennis team. While my first year on this team was incredible, my second was one the most frustrating times I have ever been through. It was a year during which I felt very much not accepted by the people I was around. I felt like a complete outsider, and totally unwelcome. It was so completely different from the rest of my experiences at this school. I had a coach who openly disliked me, and this really made me question authority. While I worked harder at tennis that year than I ever had before in my life, I was given more negative feedback than I had ever before received. Even so, it was a difficult decision for me when I had to decide whether to continue playing tennis or not. I did not feel welcome on the team, but quitting meant giving up a sport that had previously brought me so much enjoyment.

An experience that has been very positive for me, however, is that of being a teaching assistant. I began this job my sophomore year for Dr. Nordmoe’s statistics class, and my responsibilities have grown over the years to where I now not only TA for him, but also for the computer science department and for Dr. Smith’s The Physical Earth class. I very much enjoy this leadership role. Students look to me for assistance and often tell me I am “the coolest person ever” just for helping them find a solution to the problem they are working on. Along with being a huge self-confidence booster, being a teaching assistant has shown me that I really am learning a lot here at K. I now know the answers to all of the projects that I remember struggling with (begging the TAs for help) for hours, and I can see how much my thought processes have grown.

My four years at Kalamazoo College have allowed me to grow and mature in ways I did not know I could prior to coming here. While I am sure that I will do well in whatever path I choose to pursue after I graduate, with all the positive experiences I have had here, I am hesitant to move on. At the same time, I know I felt this same way prior to starting college, and that worked out far better than I could have expected. '

There is more coming, but nonetheless, it should give you the impression, and unlike the slams this community has been joked about, there are some real and significant sociocultural developements which should be known. Especially by those of us who do not live there.

Yours,

Mr. Roger M. Christian