Today was the first ever meet Staunton orientation event. I was partnered with someone from the community along with a Mary Baldwin peer advisor. Our group had Rev. Scott’s gals, who are a part of the Ida B. Wells Society on campus. They are interested in learning more about their cultural heritage, so they chose to be a part of the group for education and a multitude of other reasons. Having not been in the society myself, someone else could possibly describe it better than me.
We took them to Sunspots, a glass blowing studio in town where we watched some glass being blown. From there we went to Sears Hill Park, where we chatted with some African American members of the community about Staunton history. We also had lunch there. Sears Hill has an amazing view, with campus in the background. I snapped some shots, but my favorite one of the entire day was of this student, back to me, snapping a photo of the campus.
From there, we made our way to Blue Mountain Coffee and then into Cranberry’s, a delicious grocery and eatery. The girls grabbed drinks if interested and we then moseyed on back to campus.
All in all, it was a perfect day. The view from Sears Hill will take your breath away. The enthusiasm of kids who were being dragged around their new home away from home uphill and in the heat reminded me of my excited adventures around downtown (some of which I still have now). I can’t wait to see those gals around campus and off campus exploring.