Campus Community

Transcript

Okay, everyone. Let’s head over to student housing and meet Anya. She is a sophomore majoring in journalism and minoring in business. She’s gonna share her story about growing up right here in Fort Worth and find a campus community she never thought she’d make in her own backyard. Okay, Anya, it’s all yours. Please take it away.

– Thanks, Alex. And welcome to Texas y’all. Now, to give you the best picture of what your time at TCU might look like, I wanted to walk you through my first year here. Now, I’m from Fort Worth, born and raised about 15 minutes from TCU’s campus. My elementary school is walking distance from my current residence hall and my high school graduation ceremony took place at our basketball arena. So I’ve kind of been a Horned Frog for life. But it’s for that reason, I actually didn’t want to come to TCU. My mom booked us a tour anyways. And what do you know? I fell in love with the campus. TCU was relatively small, but they really leaned into that community by placing a large priority on students making friends and establishing support networks. My first friend was made at summer orientation, a football player who danced with me at the late night dance party. The second friend I made here was a girl from Nevada who was joined in my hip during Frog Camp. And my third friend was my roommate, Grace, who I didn’t even meet until move in day. All students live on campus their first two years. And the residential communities are super tight knit because they’re not just a place where we lay our heads at the end of the night. They really are a home with laundry services, tons of storage, theaters and arcades. I could watch rom-coms in the lobby or play ultimate Frisbee in the lawn. My entire first year experience was marked by TCU creating environments that helped me engage with others, which is integral to emotional support, social development, and establishing those professional networks. Faculty get involved too. The Sunday before my first day of classes, I had dinner at the director of Family Program’s house with a group of other first years. We ate tacos, played with her dogs, watch some football, which is not only the most Texan welcome you could get, but also a really powerful testament to just how much TCU cares about and supports us personally. It’s just so much easier to ask for help if you’re on a first name basis or get a job recommendation in your field if you have your professor’s cell phone number. My professors know my name. They know what I made on my last test. They know when I missed a class and I know that here, they’ll take interest in my education as if it’s their own. TCU’s connection culture is one of a kind, making sure every student is well-informed and well-equipped with whatever they need to enter the workforce and the world. It’s why I don’t mind being just 15 minutes away from mom anymore. Well, that’s my story. Thank you all for letting me share. Back to you, Alex.

– Anya, thank you for taking us through your experience at TCU. I’m jealous of all the activities you have going on here. Sign me up for that ultimate Frisbee. Thanks again, Anya. Take care.