During your first semester at Nazareth you are welcomed with an orientation. The people that help run and make it amazing, are the incredible orientation leaders (OLs). I feel very fortunate that I had the OLs that I did. My group was assigned one OL, who was a senior and his name was Tyler Young. Tyler did everything to make sure that we were adjusting to college life and taking the time that we needed to get acclimated. 

Being an orientation leader allows you to meet so many new people. I met individuals that I would not have known if it hadn’t been for this position. Being an orientation leader left me with life long friendships as I am still very close with my fellow orientation leaders. We did so many things together that resulted in such a tight knit community and close bonds. I love all of the other orientation leaders and still keep in contact with them. 

One perk of being an orientation leader is that you get to move in early. Some people might see this as a plus and others might see it as a negative. For me it was an advantage to move in early. This is because there are less people on campus moving in at that time. That means more opportunities to get things situated. Less traffic in the dorms when you are trying to get all of your stuff into your room. I know my dad really appreciated that when he had to move a mini fridge up to the fourth floor of O’Connor! Moving in early lets you get back to the campus that we all know and love.

Another reason that I chose to be an orientation leader again was because of the incoming students. I think it is an incredible thing to welcome the new students to campus. Like being able to share what I know, any tips, tricks and more with them. Seeing the new class on campus is an amazing thing. You get to be a part of the future of Nazareth and help guide them in any way possible! I absolutely loved my orientees. They are one of the biggest reasons that I decided to do it again! My group was called 16 EM and in my opinion we became more like a family during those few days of orientation!

P.S. you also get some pretty cool swag!!