10 Senior Experiences
“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” - Voltaire
St Andrews has Equipped Me for Significant Service and Leadership
Lyndsey McCall
St. Andrews Presbyterian College is an were assigned to volunteer at local
important chapter in my faith journey, organizations such as Habitat for Humanity,
through service and leadership, I have felt The Domestics Violence and Rape Crisis
God’s presence within this community. Center, Church Community Services and
A favorite quote of mine; “Service is my assignment, the Hospice of Scotland
nothing more than love in work clothes.” County. Working at Hospice is truly a labor
Through my four years, I have experienced of love. Since I have started volunteering
service from our students with disabilities, there, I have attended fimerals, helped
a Spring Break mission trip and my lead child support groups, made monthly
course in Christianity and Social Action, phone calls to “check-in” with spouses
As a St. Andrews student, service that have lost a loved one, made home
is a given. The disability services offered visits and even visited patients in our two
is something that I truly cherish on our week facility. Working at Hospice isn’t
campus. St. Andrews Presbyterian College an easy task, dealing with issues of death
is the first handicap accessible campus and dying aren’t pleasant and mindless
in the country, due to the accessibility, activity but these tasks have got to be done
students with all types of mental and for those that are in need of support. As
physical disabilities can attend our college I listen to classmates responsibilities, I
with hopes of a successful future. They find a sense of gratitude for my fellow
are educated and active members on our classmates and I’m impressed with the
campus. My suitemate can quote the Bible services that we provide in our community,
better than I can, a student in a wheelchair While participating in service
is a leader of our Lions club and another opportunities is an important part of the St.
student just got finished directing our Andrews Presbyterian College experience,
school play. These students, my friends equipping students is also significant. I
at St. Andrews, don’t rely or expect these have held many leadership positions at this
services, but as fellow St. Andrews students school like: President of Campaign for a
we give the helping hand because we learn Cause, Yearbook Editor-in-Chief, Lions
here to treat each other with love and respect, club officer, campus tour guide and most
As an able bodied student you learn to do importantlymypositionsasChristianStudent
the simple things for others like helping Union President and Student Government
my suitemate op>en the door when she has representative. Our college has about 800
foi^otten her keys, taking the time to help students, which leaves lots of opportunity
create a Facebook account, write course to take leadership roles within our school,
notes, watching other students help feed The Christian Student Union
their friends, arranging rides so they can go President is an elected position by all the
to church or getting something out of their people active in the Christian clubs. As
book bag before class. The St. Andrews Christian Student Union President not only
students and the care we give to our fellow do I organize my club meetings and events
classmates is a unique quality that makes but I also serve as a Christian leader within
our campus an even more special one. our community. In the beginning of the
My last Spring Break, I didn’t spend year I play a role in the orientation worship
in Florida, Mexico or any other typical service. Baccalaureate and St. Andrews’
Spring Break destinations. However, over Sunday worships. At a Presbyterian
the vacation, seventeen students and three affiliated school, it has been tradition the
staff advisors traveled to the Presbyterian Christian Student Union President holds
church ofthe Pilgrims in Washington, DC to a position on the Student Government,
do mission work. During the week, we went As a representative member, I also sit on
to several diflferent soup kitchens, working two other committees; the Student Senate
to prepare and serve meals for those that and the Student Life Committee. Being
are homeless and himgry. One night some involved with the Student Government has
of my friends and I were going out for a allowed me to conduct myself in important
walk in Dupont Circle and saw a bundled- meetings and presentations with higher
up man sleeping on the sidewalk, as we officials. 1 take this position very seriously,
passed, my friends and I placed a sandwich trying to set a good example for the
by his blanket. He will never know who left students and act as a responsible member,
the sandwich and maybe for the first time Overall, St. Andrews Presbyterian
I realized that it didn’t really matter, but I College is a dynamic community that
knew that we helped that person. While we prepares its students with life skills and
were there we had anything but hot weather, academics. The skills of service and
On Wednesday it actually snowed; while leadership are important to St. Andrews
it made for great photo opportunities, we and it captures who we are as students
could not help but think about the people in and out of the classroom. From these
we served earlier in the day and where they experiences I plan to attend Union PSCE
might sleep that night. By the end of the and seek an education in which I plan to use
week, I could tell that our time spent in these skills ofservice and leadership for the
D.C. had changed each person’s outlook church. As a Presbyterian, I am thankful for
on homelessness and took it to heart, our churches’ affiliation with our school.
In my last semester at St. Andrews God works though the students, faculty
1 took a new course by Dr. Dan Ott called and staff of St. Andrews Presbyterian
“Christianity and Social Action.” In this College, which I will proudly be a graduate
course. Myself and nine other students of this institution that changes lives.
When College Ends
Daniel Pinsker
As the campus recovers from the graduation, a good number of us
last events of Ganza, the only thing will ditch the backpacks for the
left is the strenuous week or so of workforce or graduate school. What
studying and preparing for the end makes this surprising is that there
of the year term paper and exams, won’t be any more spring breaks, no
The good news is that the semester more school holidays, and no more
is almost over, the bad is that until open summers to travel around or
exams are over life on campus is bwome a couch potato. There will
going to be hectic and stressful, be the commute to work, the small
That’s how it has been every year as weekend getaways, and maybe a
the spring semester comes to a close paid vacation here and there. For
with each year slightly different than those going to graduate school,
the last. It’s amazing how the year enjoy it as much as you can while
seems to pass by so quickly, but as working on your studies. As alumni
a senior graduating soon, everything hopefully we’ll make the time to
must come to an end. This campus come back and visit this campus,
has been a home for four yeare, either for Alumni weekend or for
and in that four years lots of things Ganza. Already there’s a welcoming
change, from the people to the party set on welcoming a student
school itself. A good friend of mine, that graduated last semester ready
came here not really knowing what for his return at graduation. Like I
the future had in store for him as a mentioned in my last article, as long
die hard German heavy metal fan. as you remember this school for
Now as a senior, he’s graduating what it truly is, it’ll stick with you
with a new look on life as a bom longerthan remembering it as simply
again Christian. As for the school, the place you attended college,
it’s great to see the school trying to We say goodbye to
improve its image by fixing up the roommates, somewhat bad cafeteria
dorms and improving some of the food, and the early morning rush
buildings on the academic side of to class. Say goodbye to the small
the lake. As college students, it’s spaces of a dorm room and the life
scary when thinking about the past within the many suites on campus,
years spent here, shuttling to class We move on to wherever we go,
and living here for a good part of leaving some friends behind as they
the year. We live, leam, and grow continue their college life. We go
as people. We make mistakes, learn home, moving into the homes of our
from them, and understand how to families or moving into apartments
make better decisions. As the days focused on that next step wish should
wind down till graduation for the take in life. Some who’ve grown to
graduatingciassof’07, it’sjustweird love this place do stay here, getting a
looking back at all the things that job at school not wanting to be away
have happened here in four years, from here. Most of the staff working
Who can say that they got to here are alumni, so it’s no surprise
read Harry Potter books and watch that this school does have an effect
episodes of Buflfy the Vampire on people. I know I’ll come back one
Slayer in an American Pop Culture day to see this place, driving down
class at another school? Who can Route 220 from Greensboro like
say they wrote an “absurd” play for a I’ve down for four years attending
class where students got to read such here. For those of us who pass down
absurd plays as Waiting for Godot through the towns of Norman and
by Samuel Beckett and Rhinoceros Ellerbe, the sight of the small town
by Eugene Ionesco? The classes that and its appearance seems inspiring
are taught here can be vary from the enough that as college students,
usual to the highly interesting, and we should try to gain as much
it’s great as college students that we knowledge as we can so that our
can leam such things even at a small future won’t end up in such a town
college. It’s bad to assume that just that people try to zoom by on their
because a class is named History of way to college. In fact, it should be a
the Blues doesn’t mean that by the requirement for freshman to venture
end of the semester, a student would into diflferent lands to see how hard
have the chance to write and sing a life is for some people, so that as
blues song to the entire class. There college students they know that the
are many other interesting classes things they achieve in college can
taught here that can be mentioned lead to a bright and happy future,
in this article, but the main reason For anyone here, the stress
why the classes are interesting is of a heavy workload and non-
due to the enthusiasm and interest academic sfress does take a toll
of the professor teaching it. Each on you, to the point of wanting to
professor brings their personality leavehereatany cost. It’s the dnve
and interests to class with them to overcome the stress, to redeem
as well, like learning Japanese yourself to your professors to
culture while studying how to write show them that you want to be
poetry. There are the professors here is worth it, walking away
who discuss politics while holding and trying to leave this place
class on current events. This is isn’t. The stress and drama is
what I remember about this place all part of college, but avoiding
in the four years I’ve attended here, it for four years and doing your
even in the middle of nowhere, best until you graduate, proves
the education and the people to your professors, your family,
here is great. Since Laurinbui^ is and yourself that you achieved
somewhat of a small town, don’t be something great and you showed
surprised spotting professors at the that you have a bright future
local restaurants or at Harris Teeter when you graduate college,
on the weekends next year. For me, leaving the place you lived for
I’m going to miss playing spot-the- four or more years behind taking
professoratthe local Chinese buffet, the memories with you. This is
It’s surprising that after where it all ends, but life and
what awaits you is about to begin.