Oswego Meet Kwame ,Kwame Meet Oswego:

“Oh! She’s quite a beauty, what a nice campus, it’s so enormous and the lake you can reach right out and touch it!” Yep…that sums up my first meet and greet with Oswego State. This past week I had the most amazing time of my life starting with a 5-hour trip up from my hometown of Queens, NY. Over the mountain and through the woods (at least that’s what it felt like) to see the school I’ll be attending this fall .As previously mentioned Oswego is quite a beautiful campus, its the first thing I mentioned to my guide for the day, a good friend who currently attends Oswego. Second thought that came to mind was the Lake. Its everything you that you’ve heard, if you don’t believe me ask the people we saw doing Tai Chi on a light breeze filled summer day. When the class load piles up that’s where you’ll catch me right in the middle with those folks counting my breaths!

In any event please pardon my rudeness. I should introduce myself formally. My name is Kwame Belle. I’m a transfer student by way of SUNY Cobleskill & CUNY BMCC. I’m from NYC as previously mentioned and after a long hard academic journey I’ve finally arrived at SUNY Oswego. Which leads us to the reason I made the trip to this beautiful and enormous campus. A couple of friends and I came up to check out the off campus apartment I will be living in before I sign the lease. However, before that could happen I needed to take care of a great deal of things. A Res Life visit, a meeting about an extra curricular opportunity I was interested in, add in the 5 hour drive and a 20 minute state trooper pull over (for the record I adhere to the speed limit “Mr. Matombo” my trusty pal and driver apparently doesn’t) and all of a sudden it was 4:00 which was also the time the Mary Walker health center was closing. As I approached I saw all of the faculty leaving the side door most were already opening the car, holding my breath I barely managed a quick “everyone left already?” Sadly the answer was sorry we are closed. Before I could even contemplate begging while holding onto a pant leg, or summoning my puppy dog tale of driving hours, or needing to have my health forms in to begin my registration for New Student Orientation; one of the faculty members said she would stay. Now I felt guilty I thanked her and even said that she didn’t have to. I would understand I said after all it is a Monday, all the while I’m thinking please don’t listen to me. Not only did she take my forms but she was warm, courteous, patient and in a good mood. I was so touched by her hospitality I had to ask her name, so thanks Allison you’re the greatest! Next time I’ll be punctual I promise!

Honestly that experience was not the last time I was treated with such care and personal attention. At every turn some one was holding an elevator door, flashing a warm smile or offering their assistance. These encounters with SUNY Oswego’s faculty are the intangible moments that make a students college experience that much more memorable. It also puts an anxious new student at ease in a new environment. I walked away saying I know I made the right choice coming here. These were only a few of the encounters I had during my daylong trip that helped lead to my falling love with Oswego but there’ll be plenty time for that later. All in all I must say I can’t wait, and as I type this back home in Queens, NY I can’t help but get excited about the upcoming school year and what’s in store. With the kind of encounters I had and more surely to come, it won’t be long before I’m calling SUNY Oswego my home.