Stepping into the Future

The first time I climbed these stairs, I didn’t know where they would lead. This part of campus was mostly under construction back then. The exterior of these structures was in place, but the interior looked like abandoned warehouses – vast, empty buildings with a disarray of mangled wiring that hung from the ceilings.

I came here as a student-volunteer to serve at a dinner rally that was being held in the courtyard. It was a fundraiser, I believe, to help complete the project underway.

A lot has changed since then.

The architecture has been transformed from blueprints to realities. And like these buildings, I have changed too. So much of my own spiritual formation took shape here.

As I climb the stairs today, I can’t help but think of all the times I have traversed these steps over the years. To attend a class. To see a play. To peruse the bookstore. To study in the library. To meet a friend for lunch. To receive my diploma.

But today, I am here for another reason.

When classes begin, I am on the other side of the desk, remembering what it was like to be new here and to be far away from everything familiar.

My students have begun their own journey across these same steps. And I have the privilege of being a part of where these steps, over the next few years, will lead them.

What do you remember about your first day at college?