Student Involvement Fair and Thrive

I had been hoping to be able to get to and from the Student Involvement Fair yesterday in time to add some pics to the Daily Deac (since I had talked about the Student Involvement Fair there), but alas I couldn’t get back in time.  So today is some belated coverage of this event.

The pictures probably do not do justice to just how many student organizations were there.  There are rows and rows of tables with posters and displays about each group.  I went down a couple of the rows and saw Golden Key Honor Society, a philosophy society, fraternites and sororities, the ZSR library, intramural sports, and so many niche groups.

Occasionally a parent will tell me that their student has told them “there’s nothing to do at Wake Forest” and it is so hard for me to believe, seeing so many of these groups out there for students to join and enjoy.  And while it may be that Organization A or B is not offering a big Friday or Saturday night social outing, that isn’t always the point.  The point is that students can join these clubs and organizations and make new friends, and then the students can contact the new friends and make plans for the weekend.  See the movie on campus.  Go have dinner somewhere.  See a play on campus or whatever.  You get the idea.

Amidst the tons and tons of tables, there were a few decorative leaves in the grass, which is a teaser for part of our Thrive event tomorrow.  These are pretty, colorful leaves – stuck in the ground like you see with election signs or real estate signs.  And as I looked toward Reynolda and the Mag Patio, a lot of these leaves were decorating the railing.  On the front of Reynolda too.  I hadn’t realized just how much difference the pop of color makes, but to my eyes at least they made everything look that much prettier.

There were students and staff members handing out Thrive Save the Date stickers and encouraging students to attend.  Deac families, encourage your students to attend too.  There are going to be a lot of fun activities, some things that will be thought provoking, lots of free food, etc.

I hope your students will not just take advantage of the activities and fun stuff, though, but that they will also begin to be a lot more conscious about their wellbeing than I ever was at that age.  I think about most of the adults I know (parents especially), and it seems like we are forever juggling a million plates in the air – spouses or partners, children, jobs, money/bills, physical and emotional health, etc.  Those plates get heavy and they are hard to keep spinning.  I hear that frustration all the time.   My hope is that if our students really learn to do all this well now, they will do a better job in feeling like they can do what is important to them and let go of what is not – so they get the balance and peace it seems like everyone my age is desperately searching for.

And if they won’t respond to the bigger existential ideas of living the best life you can, tell them there will be puppies at Thrive 🙂