Where do I even start to write about this amazing Summer it’s been so far? There are so many spectacular things that have happened and that I’m involved in since I’ve moved on campus for this Summer. FASET has been such a blessing not just because of the friendships I’ve made, but the opportunity to touch so many students’ lives. Sure, we only get about 4 or 5 hours with them, but those small interactions can mean so much to some. Orientation isn’t the most comfortable place because so much is being thrown at each student as they begin a new journey in life.

It’s pretty overwhelming.

FASET 1 was just last week, and frankly, I was as nervous as a guy on a first date with a bad haircut, but that’s beside the point. I would have a small group with around 15 or so students that I would have to interact with and get to know. I was a bit intimidated I’m not gonna lie.

“What if these students didn’t like me?”

“What if half of them don’t even show up?”

All of these questions were swirling in my head and all of a sudden Larry Cloud said: “If you’re in group 8 you are with James in James Ni’s OGs!” I know, weak name, but I got them sunglasses and chains which is pretty neat in my opinion.

As the day went on, I began to notice that they became more comfortable talking to me (probably because I made things so awkward they felt bad for me), but it was such a great experience getting to know each and every one of them. The majority of them were from Georgia, and I had one student from Florida. Georgia Tech were most of their first choices, and there was one student who got into Duke, Georgia Tech, and Vanderbilt, but in-state tuition was the best move. Although they weren’t the most talkative group in the world, they definitely gave me a great experience. So if you were in my group and you’re reading this, thanks for being bomb af and letting me embrace how awkward I actually am hahaha.

Don’t kid yourself, we look pretty sharp don’t we?

Although having a student group was great, that isn’t the only way to impact a student’s time at FASET. We have gone through many different trainings that have prepared us for these different duties, but one of the things that our coordinator told us was to search for that boy under the tree. If you don’t know what that means ask me, if you do know what it means, that’s awesome. Being a FASET leader is not a requirement to search for that boy under the tree, so don’t let that hinder you, anybody can make an impact.