A Love Letter to a College Freshman

Dear You–
It may just be you & I up and awake in the world right now.
Just you… the quiet of a new dorm room… the glow of the laptop screen… this love letter… and a feeling webbing deep in your stomach that you may never get used to all this.
Ever.
It’s not true. You’re going to do just fine. You’re already doing just fine even if it’s one of the hardest things to convince yourself of when the tears are brinking and you just want to go back home: Back to comfort. High school. A boyfriend & friendships now sitting in the pile of  “long distance.” Bonfires. Summer. Familiarity. Anything but this.
It’ll be the best four years of your life… that’s what they’re telling you, right? That—if done right—these next four years will sculpt you & change you & make you ready for the real world. Truth told: this is the real world. It’s yours. Stop thinking otherwise. Don’t let a moment more slip away.
These next four years are yours to be entirely & completely selfish.
To figure out “you” and how “you” make this world a better place. So start…

Start at the coffee bar. That’s a good place to start. Just visit the coffee bar and treat yourself to something sweet—you’re in college. It’s something to celebrate.
Knock awkwardly on the doors of your new neighbors. Everyone is waiting for someone to make the first move and plan a powwow. Be that person. Decide that tonight it is the football game and tomorrow it is popcorn and a movie night in your room. Pick a movie that is both drama & comedy, with traces of home & familiarity in it for each of you.
Befriend your RA. They are not the enemy. They are here to make every ounce of this easier for you… and they’d really appreciate the chance to try.
Call home when you have to. Cry your eyes out. Take slow slugs of the broth of homesickness in the morning.
It’s ok… It’s ok…
Let the homesickness in. Don’t push it out. Talk about it. Embrace it. It will head south eventually… I promise.
Write letters. To your friends at other schools. To your long distance boyfriend. To teachers back home. Glitter the maps with your cursive to one another. Give one another a reason to track back the campus mailbox for something other than a free pizza coupon. You’ll keep those letters for years & years. You’ll one day say that there is nothing like those letters you’ve kept stacked in a box beside your bed.
And on the note of friends… step away from Facebook for a little while. Not forever. Not for always. Just enough time to be present to the here & now. The meeting of new faces. The conversations at parties. The ice breakers that, yes, you clearly don’t want to do but should anyway. Be there for it. All of it. Don’t sit in the feeds of your friends back home; start new chapters that would make them proud.
Follow. Just follow wherever this year takes you. You’ll change. It’s inevitable. But don’t shy away from the change or the chance to develop into a better friend… a better leader… a better somebody. Accept it. When people grow distant and old relationships don’t fuel you anymore, just accept it. That’s life. It’s always happening. Clear away and cut the ties you need to cut… make room for Better & More. You’ll find best friends in this place…
Don’t go crazy looking for them. You’ll find one another and in a year from now you’ll wonder how there ever was a whole two decades of Not Knowing One Another. For now, just meet people. Sink into it naturally. You’ll get there. I promise. Just find the places where people are and start there.
A club. A meeting. The newspaper. Something. Anything. Not just for social purposes– your resume is going to start mattering sooner than you think… take it seriously.

And classes too—Go. To. Them. 8am or not—Show. Up.
Study. Try harder than you’ve ever tried before. Consider a time management course. Take at least one course that interests you… thrills you… makes you think. & don’t rush to choose a major. There’s time to get your feet wet with the muds of it all.
Most of all, embrace it. All of it. The new opportunities. The events on campus. The free stuff. The chance to grow apart from everything you’ve ever know. The chance to be someone you have always wanted to be…
Sit down during this first week of college… take out a piece of paper… and write it all down. Your hopes & your dreams  & your goals for the next four years. Who do you want to become? What do you want to accomplish? It’s time to start all of this.
Write it all down. Put it in an envelope. Seal it up and scribble “Do not open until college graduation day,” in big, bold letters. And tuck it somewhere safe…
Get clear on what you want to make of these next four years and then go out and do it…
You’ve got this. You’ve really got this. And if ever you start to believe that you don’t, come find me.
Love,
Someone who has been there before. 

This love letter was written by founder of The World Needs More Love Letters, Hannah Brencher. This love letter was inspired by the love letter she wrote to herself on the first night of college. Brencher sealed the love letter in an envelope & did not open it until her graduation day in 2010. 

http://www.moreloveletters.com/2012/08/25/a-love-letter-to-college-freshmen/

Our Mission Statement

As the sisterhood of the Lofts, we uphold the five core values which are scholarship, discipleship, accountability, enthusiasm, and refinement. We strive for great class attendance, study habits, and church involvement. We take responsibility for all of our actions, actively participate in our communities, and strive to have the Spirit through the cleanliness and order of our halls. We also invite and inspire others to do the same.

Hashtag Experience

As some of you are already checking in, I feel that it's the perfect opportunity to introduce a new #hashtag that you can use for the school year!

#svulofts

We'd like you to use this hashtag on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, or whatever you crazy kids use these days.  With your help we can make this a "thing", and everyone will want to use it!  (I know I have high hopes and dreams!)

We'll be having contests throughout the year, so link us to your experience here at the Lofts.  It could include your move in day, RA, room, activities, hall meetings, the view from your window, deer, your roommate, etc. - the possibilities are endless! You might find your words or pictures posted around the Lofts:)

We can't wait for all of you to come, and thank you for sharing your experiences with us!

Photo Tour!

 First floor lobby

 Side lawn

 3rd floor lobby

 3rd floor work out area

 Room

 Bathroom

Some of the views!

Home.

The Sweet Six Team!

In April we had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing a vast selection of candidates for the six Resident Advisor (RA) positions at the Lofts. It was important to us to have RA’s who are good role models of a Knight, who live and understand the honor code, lead where they serve, teach by love, befriend others, and last but not least, know how to have FUN!

We are super excited to introduce to you our SWEET SIX TEAM of Resident Advisors for the Lofts for the 2013-2014 school year!

Lainie Thompson

First Floor North Side (Rooms 101-112)

A sophomore from Pleasant Grove, UT is a Pre-Med student who plays softball and is involved in Bella Voce. She just returned to SVU from serving a mission for the LDS church in the New Hampshire Manchester mission.

She loves to play night games like ghost in the grave yard!

Brittany Weisler

First Floor South Side (Rooms 113-124)

A Senior from Atlanta, GA majoring in Business Management and Leadership. Health Enthusiast. Bibliophile. Wanderlust. And peanut butter addict. 

Malia Falevai

Second Floor North Side (Rooms 201-212)

A Junior from Mesa, AZ majoring in Business Management and Leadership plays softball and volleyball and loves Disney movies!

Jessie Jolley

Second Floor South Side (Rooms 213-224)

A Junior from Buena Vista, VA majoring in Biology and Theatre, she enjoys good jokes.

Jordan Geist

Third Floor North Side (Rooms 301-312)

Jordan was an RA for the lofts last year, she is a Senior from Jerome, ID majoring in History wants to be a teacher! She likes basketball, volleyball and fruit roll-ups.

Melanie Clark

Third Floor South Side (Rooms 313-324)

Melanie was also an RA on the second floor south side of the Lofts last year. She is a Junior from Centreville, Va is an Art major who loves cheese-its, hiking, and making stuff.

We sure think these girls are pretty amazing and will be awesome RA’s! We hope you like them too :)

Meet your HRA's!

Hello!

Dallin & I are super excited to be the Head Resident Advisors (HRA) at the Lofts! We moved in at the beginning of May and are waiting anxiously for the empty rooms to be filled again and the halls and lobbies bustling with wonderful residents making great memories and having good times!

I came to Southern Virginia University from Kelso, Washington in 2009. I graduated in the spring of 2012 with a Liberal Arts degree and the last minor in Early Childhood Education (now they have a teaching program!). I met Dallin my last semester here and we got married August 18, 2012- the best day of my life! In January we became the HRA’s of Robey, one of the boys residence halls. It kept us busy and we enjoyed the boys, but we are super excited to work with girls now! I lived in the Lofts both my freshman and sophomore year and have very fond memories in this building. During my sophomore year I was the Resident Advisor (RA) on the second floor south side. What a great experience! I ran cross country for the 3 years I attended SVU and I was involved in student government and on the student executive council here. It was a blast!  I now work full-time at the Blue Ridge Autism Achievement Center (BRAAC) in Buena Vista. I have always wanted to be a teacher and I love working with the sweet kids at BRAAC. But during the evenings I love having fun with and serving the students at SVU and that is why my husband and I are HRA’s!.

Dallin came to SVU from Temecula, California as a freshman in 2008. He played football for a semester and then left on his mission to Charlotte, North Carolina. He has about two years left until he graduates with his Liberal Arts degree and pre-med focus. Then he plans on going to medical school.

We love to run, bake, and cook together. We cannot wait to get to know you!

Love,

Cassie & Dallin Gould