In the blink of an eye, summer is gone, and it is three weeks in to school. While the break was an appreciated and well-needed opportunity to relax with friends from home and work, and actually get paid for the work I did (because face it, we need all the help we can get with those school loans), I was not disappointed to be back. I was excited to return to the faces and places I learned to love last year, particularly from the scholars program. Last year the scholars program allowed me to have classes with other people who wanted to learn just as much as I did. It provided me with the opportunity to see Marjane Satrapi and try food I never would have tried in my lifetime at Aladdin’s.

With a school as small as Chatham and a program as intimate as the scholars program, it is easy to get to know everyone in your year. However, the boundaries between classes seemed a visible barrier. This year, the scholars are breaking down that wall. The First Year Scholars Mentor Program began this year. Upperclassmen mentors were matched with their first-year mentees allowing for a mixing of the classes. This provided an opportunity for even more unity within the scholars program.

Personally, it gives me the opportunity to share my experiences (and yes my mistakes) and really the opportunity to create lifelong friendships. My “mentee,” Shelly, and I like to just have coffee and chat on Tuesdays. Having a mentor takes some of the confusion and worrying out of the first year and it creates time to relax and blow off steam. On Sunday the 20^th of September, we are having the scholars’ ice cream social which is another great opportunity to make friends, create unity – and let’s be honest – who can resist ice cream!