“Follow the drum.”
A low thud resounds ominously behind us. We look at one another in confusion, a slight smile beginning to form on each of our faces as the meaning of the words on screen slowly register.
Upon exiting JPAC, we are plastered with a wall of bug spray, guided forward only by flaming torches in the distance. The upperclassmen, each brandishing a stick of fire, blankly stare us down on our way to the amphitheater. With beanie and candle in hand, we listen intently to the silhouettes of WOW Steering and Student Senate members as they welcome us into the fold. In one resounding roar and the flash of Dr. Kluck’s camera, the class of 2017 forever joins the Ouachita family.
However, as quickly as we can say boomalacka, senior year is upon us. Many of our friends have graduated, the $50 of basic meal plan Chick money disappears within a few hours and senioritis is already rearing its ugly head. And now, here we are two weeks before finals, most of us wishing that that same senioritis would go away.
Before you get teary-eyed on me, though, consider this. When the freshmen arrived this year, they followed not a single drum, but a drumline. Instead of encountering scowls and flaming torches reminiscent of a cult induction, they were welcomed by the smiling faces of their WOW leaders, who albeit were still holding torches. And rather than basking in the greatness of upperclassmen in the amphitheater, they watched as we almost set the campus on fire in glorious fashion.
My point is that a lot has changed during the past four years. We have a new president, a new social club and an endless amount of new drink combinations in the student center. While our time as seniors comes to a close, the freshmen’s journey is just beginning.
To the freshmen, right now you may feel invincible. You’re not. You may feel that you have all the time in the world. You don’t. The cliché stands true: time flies when you’re having fun. And as you continue to have fun as sophomores next semester, I implore you to consider the following advice:
1. Discover yourself. Be yourself.
You’ve heard it countless times, but your years at Ouachita are the most formative in your life, so don’t fight the change that will inevitably come. Find your friend group, find your passion and let the Lord lead you to your calling.
2. Study, network and look for opportunities to grow
Once you figure these things out, apply yourself. Whether you want to be a pastor, start your own business or plan to attend medical school, it all starts by working hard academically. Regardless of your long-term goals, building relationships with fellow students, professors and alumni and learning how to network will be vital to achieving those goals. Create a LinkedIn profile, attend seminars and find opportunities to build your resume/portfolio. Lastly, get involved on campus, whether that be through leading an on-campus ministry or joining OSF. Giving back to your university, community and their publics is an effective way to grow spiritually and professionally. With that being said, however…
3. Go to Waffle House at 3 a.m.
You also want to grow relationally. Before the craziness of junior and senior year arrives, stay up all night to guard the Tiger, play a game of Uno in the student center and go check out the Gurdon Light with your friends. You have three years left. Make the most of them.
4. Ring by spring?
Rveryone’s different. If you feel like getting hitched as a sophomore, then go for it, but if you don’t have a ring on your finger before graduation, it’s not the end of the world.
5. Follow Christ.
Above all, be intentional about your faith and sharing it with others. Join a Bible study. Go to Refuge and Noonday. Be mentored and invest spiritually in underclassmen. Romans 12:12 commands to “not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Therefore, go and do the same.
The next generation of Ouachitonians has arrived. Very soon, we seniors will leave our home away from home. Some of us will marry. Others will get jobs. And the science and music majors will have even more school ahead of them. Fortunately, this is not the end. In the words of “High School Musical,” it’s the start of something new, and as we follow the beating of the Lord’s drum into this next phase of life, we can rest assured that we will always have a home in Tiger Nation.
Boomalacka.
by Evan Wheatley, Features editor
