By Noelle Peters
Welcome to Zoom Belmont University’s class of 2024! As this was not what anyone could have predicted the year to be, I would have never in a million years imagined to be starting my college freshman year off through a screen while I was still home in the midwest. However, I am glad to have started this crazy journey at Belmont University, even if it started with a worldwide pandemic outbreak.
They say what makes the school atmosphere lively and bright are the students, but I believe that all the staff justly deserve some of that appreciation as well! I have not even been a college student for even a month, yet I have never felt an enormous amount of belonging, than what I have experienced through Belmont. First, the dedication of all the staff deserves a round of applause. Whether it is the late nights or early mornings, the staff have spent an enormous amount of time planning every last detail to make each student still feel a sense of welcomeness, even if it is through a screen. Even though completing college from a Zoom account is not ideal for anyone, I have loved how professors have been creating breakout sessions to connect the class, so that we can learn more about each other while still being engaged with the lesson. For example, in my Public Relations Principles course, we have already been broken into several weekly breakout sessions to discuss the lesson and how it applies within an organization. With Belmont offering this course to freshmen, I am already able to be exposed and aware of what makes a strategic and dedicated public relations practitioner. I always leave this class in awe and amazement from all that I have learned in such a short amount of time! I have no doubt that with the help of all the PR professors at Belmont and the community of Nashville, I am able to learn how to become the best practitioner that I can.
One of my biggest worries with staying digital for the fall semester, was that I wouldn’t be able to meet new friends through a screen, but I was proven wrong! The Belmont students that I have met are from all around the country, and they all share an eagerness to get to know each other. This eagerness makes me even more excited to one day move on campus and meet all of them in person! This is one of the many numerous reasons why I chose to call Belmont University my home for the next four years. It continues to be a safe, loving, Christian atmosphere for all, and it’s filled with students and staff that are supportive and encouraging. By motivating each student to find who they are and why God placed them on this earth, Belmont has helped students feel a sense of belonging and purpose in this world.
I could dwell on the negatives of not being able to experience the “normal” college start of a freshman student, but instead I continue to choose to think positive and think of all that Belmont has given me already. I have already been greeted with welcomed arms from my Towering Traditions group, created several strong friendships, have introduced myself to all my professors and all of that has been completed through a digital screen! My heart already feels a sense of joy as I look ahead at all the opportunities that Belmont offers their students and the guidance that is given to us by the outstanding staff members. Therefore, as I start this journey I am already reminded of the great future that is ahead for me. I may be 435 miles away, but Belmont University has made me feel even closer than that!
Noelle Peters is a freshman public relations major from Illinois. Beginning her freshmen curriculum online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she will be a member of Belmont’s class of 2024. Noelle holds a great amount of love for her friends, family and faith, and she is both excited and optimistic about the opportunities Belmont University has to offer her.