All our hopes, dreams and fears are right here. Some we have in common and some we do not. We are now community, for better or for worse. With commuters breezing in to class and then out again to beat the traffic home, and the solid doors of our apartments guarding our solitude, we will press on to meet the rigorous demands of academia, struggling to complete papers on time while stretching our finances to the next financial aid check. We will plan our academic programs and some of us will struggle to take care of children while studying.
Pressures come and go with breadth exams and maybe love.
Some will question their decision to come here. Some students will be changed by professors' questions while other students will be happiest rushing out the door. My personal hope for community lies in the brilliant streaks of lightning illuminating the brick walls of north housing. My hope in community speaks from desert cacti in the botanical gardens just north of school. My hope in the community is the sunset that invites me to pause and reflect on all the beauty around me.