In a community where many like me are beginning a lifelong journey

In a sometimes quiet, sometimes chaotic space where nobody cares if I make my bed

Sharing stories and talking about the latest news over a bowl of stir fry or a slice of pizza

With a group that becomes my Baylor family - who are there for me when I fail and who celebrate my successes

Getting to know a diverse group of people who broaden my perspective and open my mind to new possibilities

Where scholars and thinkers...

...and class clowns and average Joes...

...are challenged to be people of faith and purpose

Where thousands before and thousands after me find the future

Learning, playing, worshiping, serving and growing towards who I will become

Playing campus golf or joining the shirts and skins football game in the yard outside my residence hall

Watching a local band that may someday make it big perform on the patio of the campus coffee shop

In my best friend's room playing Guitar Hero and Halo until 2 AM

Working out, swimming, playing racquetball, and beating my previous time up the climbing rock at the Student Life Center

Checking out the latest chic flick with my friends

Wet, sticky and incredibly messy after a night at Freshman Follies

With a painted face and a foam finger, screaming at the top of my lungs at a home game

Sharing Homecoming traditions with the generations of alumni who have come before me

Realizing that this place has become my home and these people have become my Baylor family

With my new friends in Line Camp, in my orientation group, and during Move In Day with the volunteers who share the load

At every football game, basketball game, baseball, softball - whenever the Bears take the field or the court to meet an opponent

When my roommates cross the starting line of the Bearathon and my group crosses the finish line at the bed races

With other performers just before we take the stage at All University Sing

With friends in the dining hall when the spirit moves us because Sic 'em is more than a collegiate yell, it's an attitude

To myself as I take my finals and give my presentation to the class and know that I did my best

With my family as I walk across the graduation stage with my diploma in hand

When my Baylor pride swells up and I can't contain it

Every time I face a challenge and every time I step out of my comfort zone, I'll Sic 'em for the rest of my days

In obvious places like the desk, bed and floor of my residence hall room

In the not so obvious places found under a shade tree or in a quiet garden on campus

Among beakers, burners and bottles of a science lab discovering my interests with a professor who is passionate about his field

With friends who, like me, have found their vocation and their calling among the more than 150 majors

Digging deeper over a cup of coffee with my study group or across the table from my professor at lunch

Sharing common views and interest with some and debating differing thoughts and beliefs with others

Perfecting my knowledge of the facts and skills of my profession, while ultimately learning how to think

Challenging myself to learn more than I ever thought possible in ways I never expected

Cleaning up the community with thousands of other students each semester during Steppin' Out

Early in the morning, carrying boxes and luggage for new students as they arrive for Move In Day at the residence halls

Holding vigil all night with my Relay for Life team as we raise money for cancer research

Packing the van with supplies and driving 5 hours to the coast to help clean up after a devastating hurricane

Leading a Wednesday night Bible study with the girls from my hall

Rocking babies in a local center for children whose lives are enriched through the love and attention I give

Traveling with my engineering professor to Africa where I apply my classroom knowledge to one village's real world problem

Preparing to be the best teacher, accountant, health care professional, pastor, or servant leader I can be.

At a Christian music concert in Fountain Mall with thousands of other students

At a chapel service or a church service where I hear an inspirational speaker or a challenging sermon

With the children that I work with in a local preschool program

In an environment and among faculty who believe faith and honest inquiry can be companions for a lifetime of learning

Digging deeper into questions of faith with friends old and new who have chosen to live and learn here

When I hammer the final nail into the home my team is building for a family in the community

Where the discovery of faith and discoveries through the world's most advanced microscopes are equally celebrated

In the quiet space where the real me meets the real God and seeks to find his will for my life