When I first arrived on campus back in August 2019, I had no idea what to expect from the University of Tulsa. I knew that it was a very academic school, and one of the smallest D1’s in the nation, however I had no clue what I was really getting myself into. Before long, during our freshman Orientation with my group – “The Sour Patch Kids” – I made my first friend. His name was Iyan. The interesting thing about Iyan was that I actually knew him from school, not just high school but we also had a short spell together at my elementary school. I remember thinking to myself “Why have I never spoken to this person before?” After countless opportunities to get to know Iyan in previous years, I never said more than a friendly hello followed by your regular shop talk. I realized that before the University of Tulsa, I was not in an environment that allowed me to open up and be my full self. For the first time in my academic career, I felt as if there was more opportunity and freedom ahead of me than ever before, I knew that I should capitalize on this new environment and make the best of my time here. The university’s efforts to engage the students in outlandish activities during orientation week gives a good reminder that college is about more than the sports and the grades, it’s about the people. I remember going through orientation and spending 2 days at Dry gulch—it was hot, uncomfortable, and downright unorganized to say the least, yet it was also one of my most important experiences as I made my first friends by natural causes. We not only bonded on our struggles in the hot dorms but looked forward to our comfortable amenities waiting for us on campus.