Already Missing It!

After a long 23 hour drive through the snowy conditions thanks to Winter Storm Jonas, the four Bonner vans finally made it back to campus at 7:30pm Monday night. Going into this freshman trip, I really did not know what to expect. Before NOLA, I don’t think the 27 freshmen have been in the same place at the same time since Bonner Orientation. I was pleasantly surprised that the week went off without a hitch and I can honestly say I have created new and strengthened long lasting friendships with freshmen, upperclassmen, and staff.

Words cannot describe the food and night life in New Orleans, Louisiana. By far, my favorite meal had to be the roast beef po boy sandwich I devoured on our first night in NOLA. As for the social aspect, everyone we ran into during the trip was so nice! Some of my favorite people were my Chick fil A server on the ride to NOLA, the very nice man who gave me all of his beads on Bourbon St., and the Waffle House waitresses who kept a smile on their faces when at least 20 Bonners rolled through the doors at 10:30pm on the ride home. The music in New Orleans is spectacular! Everywhere you walk, you can always see someone tapping to the beat and hear music coming from every entrance way. Overall, to say I miss NOLA already is an understatement and I cannot wait to go back someday!

While the night life in NOLA was exhilarating, some of my favorite memories from the trip were the simple times all the Bonners would spend all together. Whether that was squishing into a circle and playing cards on the floor, pushing people on tree swings after eating at The Joint, spending time taking beautiful pictures at the Tree of Life, or cramming onto United Saint’s basketball court to get in a game before bed, these are the moments I will remember forever. On the other hand, some of my favorite moments from working at 4955 Baccich had to be when someone, mostly Edric, was mudding a ceiling and you make the mistake of walking right under him and get hit by flying mud, drawing hearts on the forehead of Kerry after she had sanded a wall, and washing off our mud buckets in freezing cold water while Caitlyn Sweeney tried to off-set the cold by talking about the beach.

During this trip, we worked tirelessly to finish two houses to bring families back home. Not only did I learn new skills I plan on taking with me throughout life, this trip also solidified the reason why I decided to become a Bonner Scholar at The College of New Jersey. To me, the Bonner Scholars Program is not just a scholarship program to help students attend college; the Bonner Program is a way of life. No matter where we come from, the Bonner Program brings people together to fight towards a common goal; and because of this, I am proud to say I am a Bonner Scholar here at The College of New Jersey.