2008 Woodie Awards
Campus Ministry Corner
Steve Pagios
Issue date: 9/30/04 Section: Campus Life
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Here we are, about a month into school and I already feel like I've been here for an entire semester. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, it's just funny how fast we can fall back into the swing of things. So now that I'm back in this usual routine, I am in the CAB and Campus Ministry track of mind in recruiting students. But don't worry, I'm not going to lecture anyone on how great the START retreats are-even though they are wicked hot-but instead I'd like to share my perspective with a recent experience I've had.
It was about a few weeks ago when I got a sudden phone call from a friend on how stressed he was and how he felt like he couldn't find his place at school. Actually, he felt more along the lines that he couldn't find his place in the world. Honestly, this caught me by surprise because I thought he had it all; he was an executive in his extra-curriculars, smart in his schoolwork, and just genuinely a happy person. So when he told me this, I wanted to meet up with him right away to talk about it.
After a few hours, I walked across campus to his dorm and we had an opportunity to talk about what was bothering him. After much prying and convincing, I finally got him to start talking about what was wrong. He began to tell me about how he felt as though he could no longer relate to his friends. He was thinking of leaving Assumption, and he was confused about where his life was going. By the end of our conversation, he was in tears because he felt so lost in this world. He felt like he had no direction and no reason to be happy.
After a few moments of silence, I confided in him with a story about my past. I told him how I hated my first few weeks at Assumption because I felt like I had no friends and I wasn't adjusting. I told him how I used to cry myself to sleep at night because I was so lost in this college concept. It was not until I talked to a friend back home that I finally started feeling good and confident about myself. And the one thing that reaffirmed this idea was the START retreat I attended October of my freshman year.
It was about a few weeks ago when I got a sudden phone call from a friend on how stressed he was and how he felt like he couldn't find his place at school. Actually, he felt more along the lines that he couldn't find his place in the world. Honestly, this caught me by surprise because I thought he had it all; he was an executive in his extra-curriculars, smart in his schoolwork, and just genuinely a happy person. So when he told me this, I wanted to meet up with him right away to talk about it.
After a few hours, I walked across campus to his dorm and we had an opportunity to talk about what was bothering him. After much prying and convincing, I finally got him to start talking about what was wrong. He began to tell me about how he felt as though he could no longer relate to his friends. He was thinking of leaving Assumption, and he was confused about where his life was going. By the end of our conversation, he was in tears because he felt so lost in this world. He felt like he had no direction and no reason to be happy.
After a few moments of silence, I confided in him with a story about my past. I told him how I hated my first few weeks at Assumption because I felt like I had no friends and I wasn't adjusting. I told him how I used to cry myself to sleep at night because I was so lost in this college concept. It was not until I talked to a friend back home that I finally started feeling good and confident about myself. And the one thing that reaffirmed this idea was the START retreat I attended October of my freshman year.