M

y first impression of Elizabethtown College was a beautiful one that left its mark like a postcard in my mind.  I first noticed the school shortly after relocating to Etown, as my boyfriend and I were riding our mud-splattered mountain bikes home from the Conewago Rail Trail on a sunny April day.

“Look,” he shouted back to me, nodding over his shoulder in an offhand manner.  “There’s the local college.”

I hadn’t been in town long and had no idea it was big enough to house a college! As we biked up College Ave. toward Campus Drive, we passed Lake Placida and took in the gorgeous cherry blossom trees which weeped petals of snowy white and rose onto our upturned faces.

Stowing this stunning image away in my mind, I soon began driving the long way home from work simply to pass the campus and breathe it in. Wheels were turning in my head; I was curious.  “Does it really make sense to go back to school at 32?” I questioned myself.  “Can I do this?  Do I want to?”

Months later, on a whim, I parked my car in front of the admissions office and asked for a tour. A hospitable senior walked me through the halls of Nicarry, up the heated steps of the High Library and past the swimming pool, all the while gushing about Emotion auditions and sushi in something called “the Nest.” And he gave me a free carrot cake with buttercream frosting.  Score!

This was my second impression of the college but my first with members of its community, and it was just as pleasant.

Taken with the campus’ beauty and the friendliness of the staff and students in the admissions office, I was sold. I took a deep breath and enrolled as an English major.

In the two years since making that leap, those excellent first impressions of the school have only been enhanced.  I’m often taken aback by the approachability of the students, who never hesitate to offer directions to an unfamiliar corner of campus, instructions on how to scan documents in the library or where to go when the printer in the Baugher Student Center (BSC) runs out of paper. As they pour out of the BSC between classes, students and staff alike go out of their way to smile and hold open doors for the people behind them.

In a school the size of Etown, many of those faces now seem familiar. The people in the English department have become a family to me, comprised of some of the most talented students and brilliant professors I’ve ever had the privilege to learn from. I’ve absorbed much more than simply the proper way to write a news release and how amazing the experience of unlocking Shakespeare’s plays can be – I’ve witnessed true compassion and discovered, by example, the ability to appreciate life, no matter how trying it can be. And the kindness extends beyond the classroom to the campus bookstore, maintenance, counseling services and every department in between.  There will truly be a void in my heart come May.

At 34, I know that people and places come into our lives for a reason: to help us grow to our fullest potential by means of valuable life lessons, some excruciating and others magnificent. Etown came into my life at a time when I was feeling like a spinning compass.  That first positive impression while riding up Campus Drive stayed with me and led me down a path of growth and camaraderie I couldn’t have imagined two years ago.  Since taking a chance and seizing that opportunity, I’ve been blessed with new chances for growth every day, in recently-learned marketable skills, fresh connections and newfound confidence.  Remembering the impact Etown made on me—right from the start—I’ll continue to put my best foot forward in life.  Inspired by experiences at Etown, I’ll strive to make positive first impressions of my own.

Because first impressions are powerful things.