On September 5th, I attended the Health Professions Learning Community meet and greet. It was held in the Owens residence hall living room, and we got to hear from different faculty members about their different programs which are a part of the community. This helped connect all of the students, in the sense that even though we have different majors, we are all studying the same general material and taking a lot of overlapping classes.

The student activities council hosted a plushie pop-up event that I went to on September 26th in the Webb Center. They gave out stuffed bears for all ODU students that registered on the campus groups app. It was super fun to take them back home and stuff them with my roommate and now I have a cute addition to my bed!

On October 8th, I participated in Big Blue’s round up event hosted by Student Engagement and Traditions. It was held at Kaufman mall where students were able to sign up and decorate cowboy hats to kick off homecoming week. It was a lot of fun and gave us something to do during activity hour.

On October 10th, I helped my exercise science club with painting for the claim your crown event. The crowns were scattered across the ground around Kaufman mall and we incorporated the homecoming themes as well as drawings to represent the club. It was a fun bonding experience with people of the same major, and it helped me meet and talk to older people and hear their advise and ask questions that I had.

Also on October 10th, my roommate Morgan and I went to a pumpkin carving event held by the Pre-law Association in Constant hall. We ended up painting the pumpkins instead of carving them, because we did not want them to go bad before Halloween. This was a fun activity that gave me quality time with my friend and helped us create memories that will last forever.

This picture is from October 10th as well, right before the pumpkin event. Student engagement and traditions held a s’mores by the fountain social that Morgan and I went to at Kaufman mall. This was a good time and we ended up meeting new people, who took a picture with us for a TikTok trend. Therefore, these events helped get us out of our room and become more social.

This picture is from the Student Recreation Center. Morgan and I went to the gym and walked on the stair master for 30 minutes. Going together made the whole process of working out easier as we acted as each other’s motivation. It also made it entertaining, while also doing something productive for our health at the same time.

These pictures were taken at Big Blue’s boardwalk, an event hosted by the ODU homecoming organization at Whitehurst beach on October 18th. It featured carnival rides and games that we played, along with fireworks that we sat and watched. This was something fun to do that gave us plans for the night, rather than sitting in our beds. I also liked that it was something different, not a common event that is always hosted around campus, therefore making it a special night to remember.

This event occurred right after the boardwalk carnival celebration, so Morgan and I decided to check it out. It was called “movie night with an orange twist”, hosted by Whitehurst hall in the community room. We watched Coraline while decorating styrofoam pumpkins. This activity was a good way to get in the Halloween spirit and add some decoration to our dorm room.

This was the first football game that I had gotten to go to with Morgan. It was the homecoming game versus Texas State on October 19th. We had a really good time watching the game and it made it even better that our team finally won! I am so glad that I had so many opportunities to make college memories that will last forever and that I have documentation of my teenage years to look back on. I am also grateful for all these experiences as they helped me meet the people I will have lifelong relationships with.