Something Special...

Last night was surreal. Kind of an out of body experience. I spent most of the night with 50+ people (most of whom I've only know for about four weeks) as they celebrated the relationships and work they have built for the last few months and (in the cases of some people) years. I spent the night at the end of summer banquet for Rutgers New Student Orientation staff.

The love and joy that I felt in that room was something I haven't felt at a work related event in years. This is not a knock on the people I have worked with previously or the institutions I've worked at. It is much more a commentary about how extraordinarily loving and special this group of young men and women are.

I can't even begin to describe how special it was to watch these folks celebrate one another and tell each other how much they meant to one another, and that's the way it should be. When something like last night happens you shouldn't be able to describe it. Words should fail you. Pictures and sounds should elicit memories that only make sense to a handful of special people.

Before I left my last job a friend told me, "I can't wait for you to leave here and still be miserable." I wasn't sure how to feel about that comment. But it always stuck in the back of my head. I wondered how I would feel about new co-workers, my new students, my new responsibilities. A month in I can report that joining Rutgers has been a great move for me. I feel happy here. I have absolutely loved these students. Their energy is infectious. Their dedication, work ethic and creativity are inspiring. They build Tumblr blogs dedicated to their Orientation groups.
They scan Twitter to reach out to their orientees.
They make lip dub music videos with and for each other 
They perform flash mobs with and for their students. Really fun flash mobs.

I stayed up last night watching clips from their Inside the Orientation Studio series (see second video below) and I couldn't help but smile and laugh.

The most impressive part of all this is that they do it not because someone told them to, or because it's in their job description. They do it because they love what their doing. And because of that, I love what I'm doing too. And I am loving Rutgers.

So thank you, Rutgers NSO staff of 2012. You've made me feel welcomed, loved and left me excited for my Rutgers experience. What more can you ask from an Orientation group? Nothing.

Here are some more videos: