From Woodland Greens to Gold and Green

By Diana Cates

The past three weeks have been a complete whirlwind for me . . . I mean, I literally feel like Taz has gotten a hold of me in his little tornado (fond reference for those Looney Tunes fans). This isn’t to be misunderstood; I have loved every exhilarating moment of this journey! This tornado-like feeling was expected, and I knew drastic change was coming, but it still caught me by surprise.

IMG_1455I’m not the traditional Baylor student, in the sense that for the past seven years I have worked and traveled around the world with the Marine Corps. This makes me a bit older than the average student, which has been one of the dizzying contributors of my whirlwind experience. It has taken considerable adjustment for me to go from that work environment to the vibrant, youthful university campus that I have come to love so much already. Fortunately, an open heart and mind have made this transition easier.

Over the summer, I spent a month in the hills of Fort Sill, Oklahoma, completing what would be one of my last field exercises with my unit. It was rough living on meal rations (MREs – always go for the pasta ones!), but it was rewarding to see the cumulative results of my hard work. One week after returning home, I drove down to Waco to spend five days with hundreds of other new incoming students during Line Camp. What a contrast! I had no idea what to expect, but it proved to be THE perfect beginning to my Baylor experience, and I highly encourage it to every new incoming student.

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Call it a whim or perhaps sheer intuition, but last spring I found myself on the Baylor campus, not having previously considered attending. At the time, I didn’t realize that in doing so, I was already on a life-changing path. There is an endearing glow to the students here at Baylor, and it’s something that captured my heart when I visited in March. Though this quality is intangible, it is evident in so many different aspects. It is present in the smiles you encounter when you’re walking to class. It is experienced when you drop your books, and ten students stop to help you (which, incidentally, happened last Wednesday!). Most of all, it is seen in the faces of your professors and advisors who do everything in their power to see you succeed.

Understandably, the camaraderie of the Marine Corps can never be replaced, but I feel prepared to hang my woodland greens for now. It is with pride that I now bleed gold and green!

SIC ‘EM BEARS!

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