The transition from summer to fall can be a chore. While I look forward to fall, it’s usually difficult to get readjusted to the stresses of college life after having a lighter summer schedule. I find myself nostalgic for those relaxing times at the beach when I could hear the ocean waves and feel the sand beneath my feet. Every year, I have enjoyable vacations as well, traveling to states like Delaware and Nevada and to islands in the Caribbean. I also annually volunteer at the Special Olympics, which always gives me a sense of pride when I watch the contestants conquer obstacles I can’t begin to fathom.  These are the kinds of summer memories I cherish: to be able to travel, relax and interact with my hometown friends.

While it may be bittersweet to leave the summer behind, I also enjoy the fall season. Every fall, I spend a weekend with family friends churning homemade apple butter, and, boy, is it delicious. I love eating warm apple butter and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire. There are also hay rides and pumpkin carving that I’ve always loved participating in, especially now that there are more young children in my family. I can relate to their joy of sitting on hay stacks on a carriage pulled by a tractor and finding their way through a corn maze to win a prize. It puts a smile on my face to see the little ones get so excited over activities I take for granted.

At Elizabethtown College, the transition from summer to fall is made easier by seeing all of my friends again and starting the semester fresh. It can be exciting to think about what classes you will take this fall semester and the new people you will meet. Starting a new fall semester at Etown means joining or revisiting clubs, participating in school events and readjusting your work ethic to get more motivated about your classes.

This fall, I will be contributing to VOX Literary Magazine, the literary magazine at the College. Fall is a time for fresh starts. Beginning again on a clean slate is just one of the parts of the fall semester I anticipate. As I am on the committee for a couple of my clubs, I welcome the challenge of new work, new experiences and new people.  Each year, clubs try to build up from where they left off to become bigger and better than they were the previous year. I love having the opportunity to contribute to an organization that will resound with the College’s students. Recently, I worked a couple of tables at the Activities Fair, but along with the joys of fall comes the fall weather, and the fair was rained out halfway through.

Along with these long-term activities that I enjoy at Etown, the little things make me happy as well. Have you ever had pumpkin spice lattes or apple cider doughnuts? They are so delicious. I could consume these delicacies in other seasons, but there’s just something about the novelty of the fall season that makes these treats so enjoyable. I love eating warm apple cider doughnuts and drinking warm apple cider at the Northbrook Orchard each year.  Apple picking is always enjoyable too.  Last year, Etown had a day of apple picking at Masonic Village. I’ve always loved coming home with fresh apples in my basket, ready to have them baked into pies.

At Etown, I become excited for fall because I love the atmosphere that surrounds Homecoming. There is a genuine community feeling surrounding the campus, as students work hard and for long hours designing their floats to win contests in the Homecoming parade. Soon after Homecoming, Rocky Horror Picture Show is performed each year on campus and always attracts a lot of laughter and smiles from the students that attend the performance.

While I love summer and all the joys it brings me, I also love the fall season and how that season is celebrated at Etown. There are so many activities for a student to join, so many new people and so much delicious fall food. This fall promises to be even better than the last, and I can’t wait to dive into the parts of fall that really make it a great and memorable season.