I arrived on this campus,
Eager to learn, a blank canvas.
I hoped we would last at least a week,
The future unknown, looking bleak.

Little did I know,
With COVID breaking the status quo,
We would be here to stay,
The campus open day after day.

I arrive with my plants,
conversation-starters by chance,
My stickers and pins,
The social game I strive to win.

Standing in line,
There you will find,
A friendly wave from a stranger,
Asking about your name and your major.

My fears soon dissipate,
I’ve come here to mitigate
This tricky territory
To me, it feels congratulatory.

We sit and we complete the paperwork,
We eat and build the framework,
Of friendships lasting
In a bright future, forecasting.

It’s not the college I remember touring,
But that’s what life is, hardly boring.
I’ve learned how to change,
In a world so strange.