Stepping back on the Hollins University campus ten years
after saying goodbye was, to say the least, surreal. For two days the outside
world peeled away at the edges and tucked itself behind the corners of Front
Quad, and the perfect world I inhabited for four of the best years of my life
sprang from memory into the present tense. It hit me over and over – walking into
West, distracted by conversation with friends I had not seen in years, and
finding myself standing in front of the door of my old room. Strolling over to
Moody for lunch and seeing a cluster of old classmates lounging on the front
steps. Sitting in the rocking chairs of Main, watching the rays of a setting
sun gloss that vibrant green grass with a shade of gold – the ultimate Hollins
paintbrush. Everything that should have felt remote after ten years’ time felt
familiar and natural – this is a place that remembered us, and now welcomed us
back with open arms.
Spending those few days with people that I loved in a place
that had such an impact on me then, now, and every day of my future, was like taking
a deep breath. Take a moment away from the busy humdrum of life to think about
where I came from, where I’m going, and what it all means. I came to Hollins
looking for an education, a means to an end, a springboard to get me out there
to make my mark on the world. But what I got was so much more than that. Hollins
became a symbol, a spirit, an ingrained experience that touched every facet of
my life. Ten years later it still shapes the way I see and interact with the
world.
The friends that I made the first day I set foot in Tinker 3C
are people that I can pick right up with where I left off, even if years have
gone by without the regular conversations we enjoyed as students. There was
something so “Hollins” about us, a closeness that transcends anything that any
of my non-Hollins friends experienced at other universities of any size in any
place. Even today, despite the distance between us, the different trajectories
our lives have taken, the inevitable lapses of communication, there is not one
of these women who to this day does not know me better than I know myself. I
was told once that the definition of a “best” friend was someone you could call
in the middle of the night for help with no questions asked. There are women I
went to school with here who I could call from across the country, even if we hadn’t
talked in years, and if need be they would hop on the next plane. I know this
because it’s what I would do for them – no questions asked. To me it’s a unique
and treasured byproduct of an all-women’s institution - we learn more about ourselves and each other
than most people ever dream of.
That same environment that builds everlasting friendships
has a similar impact on our education. Those today who scoff at liberal arts
miss the point of what they are for – we are not here to be spoon fed
information that we can then regurgitate to earn a paycheck. We are not aiming
for a narrow circle in the center of a target. The professors at Hollins pride
themselves on teaching us to think,
to gather information, dissect it in a way that is meaningful and use it to
form arguments and opinions. We are trained to listen and seek out different perspectives, but we are also prepared
to stand up and vehemently defend values and beliefs that we earned though that painstaking process.
Our minds become our greatest asset – here we are given the
tools to create any future we want for ourselves, a goal that every professor on campus reflects. Their devotion to us, their passion for
what they can offer and how it can get us closer to that goal is unparalleled. Day in and day out they leave a lasting,
powerful impression on their students – the kind of impression that drives you
to greater things. I had no interest in economics, but someone told me I had to take a course with Juergen Fleck,
and I remember it to this day. I was neither a history major or minor, but I
took three courses with Peter Coogan because I wanted to learn everything I
could from him, no matter what the subject was. Little did I know that when I
took a seat in a cavernous room in Dana for my first Creative Writing course
with Pinckney Benedict, my life was about to change.
Not only were these professors impassioned about education,
but they were impassioned about educating women.
At Hollins there was no talk about breaking glass ceilings, because here they don’t
exist. Here we were emboldened to find out what we wanted and to go get it.
When you are taught over and over that there are no barriers by people who
believe it, they are that much easier to walk right through when you find them
in the real world.
The notion of all-women’s education is a more difficult sell
today than it ever has been, and that’s a shame. I firmly believe that were it
not for that aspect of Hollins life, my time there would have nowhere near the resonance
that it does, and I’m not alone. During the Parade of Classes generations of Hollins
women laughed and cheered with one another, echoing eight decades of the same
joy. From class lounge to class lounge we were greeted with an instant familiarity
and understanding of Reunion’s significance. For these few days all of us, from
the class of 1948 to the class of 2011, existed in a time warp – transported
back to those blissful days at Hollins when we became the women who,
generations later, are still going places.
For those who came to Reunion, it was great to see you. For those who could not, we missed you and thought of you. For the professors who got us here, thank you. For those who work hard every day to make Hollins great, know that it was and still is worth it. I'm blessed to have been apart of it as a student and now as an alum. Consider this my RSVP for Reunion 2018.
For those who came to Reunion, it was great to see you. For those who could not, we missed you and thought of you. For the professors who got us here, thank you. For those who work hard every day to make Hollins great, know that it was and still is worth it. I'm blessed to have been apart of it as a student and now as an alum. Consider this my RSVP for Reunion 2018.
