To the newest members of the Hoya family,
Welcome home.
You will hear that invitation many times throughout NSO and welcome week- the invitation to make the Hilltop your new home. While it is true that you have so many people rooting for you here at Georgetown, it doesn’t mean the transition to college is any easier.
We Hoyas put a ton of pressure on ourselves throughout the first couple weeks (and years?) on the Hilltop. Did the admissions committee make a mistake? Am I smart enough to raise my hand in class? Am I cool enough to hang with that person down the hall? It can be rough. I know because I was in your shoes just 94,670,856 seconds ago (that’s three years for all you SFSers out there).
You might feel pressure from peers, groups, or even professors to perform and conform in order to fit in. This changes “make the Hilltop your new home” from an invitation to an expectation.
I challenge you to find a community here at Georgetown who will love you for who you are and let you become your most authentic self. For me, this was Chi Alpha campus ministries. At Chi Alpha, we’re excited about you. You. Just the way you are. Whether you’re the king of the hill, you’ve fallen down the hill, or hill, you’re just trying to make it through- welcome home. You belong here. Come as you are.
Let the pressure of being in a new place with new people melt away as you walk through the doors of St. William’s Chapel for Open Table. Allow yourself to relax and just have fun doing life with some radically authentic people in a Lifegroup. Whether you’re new to faith, never opened a Bible before, or you’re a lifelong believer… I can’t wait to meet you and join your walk through the crazy moments that make up college.
Chi Alpha is a passionate and diverse community in which the goodness of God is at the heart of everything we do. We are artists, activists, and athletes. We love to bake, play intramural sports poorly, and catch movies. Let’s hang out, talk, ask questions, and walk with God together.
This is one invitation with no expectation. Welcome home.
Hoya Saxa,
Your brother in Christ,
Reed