Why Barrett??

Submitted by Emily Macrane


“What am I doing here?”
 
That was my first thought as my dad and I settled into the Barrett Information Session at the Downtown campus of Arizona State University. By “here,” I did not mean ASU. I had always known I wanted to be close to home--Tempe campus was 20 minutes from my parents. I was looking for options-- ASU provided a catalog of majors and opportunities in a thousand directions. Choosing to be a Sun Devil was a no-brainer. Whether or not to be a lifelong Honors kid was another kind of bird. By “here,” I meant being admitted, accepted, and willfully attending an event that would prolong my title as an “honors kid”. At college. Sigh.
 
Now, my plan for life after high school was to move on and gain a few memories while earning a degree. Simple, right? My principal didn’t think so. Attending a small high school meant my principal knew my goals, plans, and abilities, which lead to him assigning my application to Barrett, the Honors College. “What do you have to lose?” he asked. Nothing. I had everything to gain. Looking back, I will be forever grateful for Mr. Ihms, who pushed through my simple plan to show me a greater reality.

Back to Orientation.

I had been accepted to Barrett and with a slightly revised plan, was expecting to be in Tempe, rocking a campus I was familiar with that included a Harry Potter dining hall. Silly me. As a Nursing major I was getting to join the ranks of Downtown Sun Devils and Downtown Barrett students. Definitely not in the plan. After the PowerPoint of Phoenix’s opportunities and the overview of Barrett as a whole, I waited to speak with the Honors Devil, Kelsey Roderique. As she began to answer my question of “Why? Why Barrett?” I couldn’t help but notice her light up. It was like igniting a firework on a hot, Fourth of July night. Kelsey bubbled with enthusiasm and support for Barrett Downtown and the community built on the Phoenix campus. She shared her own experience and when I found out that her major was in transition (something I couldn’t imagine choosing as the newbie to the college scene), I was prompted to notice her relaxed manner. Her explanation of the support and community Barrett offers began to draw me in, creating a new desire to exceed with others, to be a part of an innovative community, to pursue more than my simple college plan.

At the end of Orientation, my dad, who had accompanied me, asked me what I thought. The opportunities were obvious and after a reexamination of my “plan,” I knew there was nothing to hold me back in joining the Barrett class of 2015. Fast forward 5 months and I was moving onto the Eleventh floor of Taylor Place, about to start a new adventure. That evening, our entire floor joined for frozen yogurt at Yogurtini, where the resumés started flying and all the attendees started to discover for ourselves who we, the Barrett kids, really were. Each student I met had a unique ambition and goal for their college experience with open minds and welcoming views towards every other person there. We were about to embark on uncharted waters and had just found seventy other fellow sailors to aid us along the way.

Barrett, the Honors College is not only a means to an end. I have no doubt that the community and support system Barrett offers is unavailable at any other university. The advisors have given me the guidance and direction I need to discover new plans, new dreams, and new abilities. My fellow classmates have pushed my thinking, challenged my arguments, and created some of my favorite memories to date from the dinners, events, and late-night Human Event readings we’ve helped each other comprehend. By choosing to be a part of Barrett, I not only gained a stronger base for the rest of my years at ASU but dependable friendships, classes that stretch my knowledge’s limits, and the drive to not settle for easy, not stick to only one plan, and abilities to succeed beyond my undergraduate years at Arizona State University. I am a proud honors kid and know my identity does not solely depend on that fact. Barrett has taught me more than philosophy and essay style. The Honors College has brought me to a present that has an even brighter future.

Barrett Beginnings

Submitted by Gian Demano

          When I first arrived at Taylor Place in mid-August of 2011, I wasn’t sure how fast, or how slow, I would start to get along with new people. I began to get the close tight-knit community vibe of the Downtown Phoenix campus when I attended information sessions and had my orientation. However, I still wasn’t certain how my interactions would be with fellow freshmen. Fun? Weird? Awkward? Boring? To be quite honest, I wasn’t too nervous at all though. I had my best friend and fellow Honors Devil, Michael Bartelt, by my side through the whole process. I’d have to thank him though for the early success and friendships we made.

From the get go, Mike was all about inviting people to our room randomly. At first, I thought this would be awkward. But to the contrary, it really wasn’t. What people have to realize is that what you’re thinking, as a new Barrett student, is what the other new students are thinking. Everyone is a bit nervous, everyone wants to do some small talk and be friendly, and no one wants to be isolated. We talked to some other Barrett students, hung out, learned about each other, and just had a good time. We were ourselves: fun, outgoing and inclusive.

 

People want to get to know each other during the beginning of the year. And while we don’t even spend everyday with all the people that we talked to in the beginning of our freshmen year, what we did was find out more about one another. Not everyone is going to end up being your best friend for all four years. But as you meet other fellow Barrettonians, you’ll find people who you’ll say hello to in the hallway, people who you’ll do studying together for your honors class, and people who you may be friends with forever. From being part of a whole floor dedicated to Barrett students, to attending fun events, Barrett offers you the resources to easily get along with others at the residential level, which is a huge part of anyone’s college experience.

 

 

 

 

Diverse, Welcoming Community

Submitted by Molly Bilker

The day I arrived at ASU, I was terrified. I had heard a lot of things about college, but figuring out how to be less me—that is, less intensely passionate, perhaps not quite so loud, less abrasive on occasion—didn’t factor into my advice. I was afraid to talk to people; I was afraid of how I would appear, if people would like me, if I could make friends at all.

A month later, I was telling all my friends how badly I wished they had a community like Barrett to carry them through the transition into college. While they complained of their loneliness, it pained me that I couldn’t relate, but only because I was doing better. I wished they could relate to me.

I thought that I wouldn’t fit in. I expressed my fears to everyone at home that I was always more inclined towards people from the arts and not as much towards academics. I was scared that Barrett would be full of people like the valedictorian from my high school—gregarious, driven, well-liked, and, with regards to me, somewhat aloof.

Instead, I walked into a community of people who were all willing to accept me as I came. I adjusted my behavior to try to suit those around me and soon came to realize I didn’t have to. The people around me were friendly, open, and willing to lend an ear or hand as needed. Barrett made me feel welcome in a new and terrifying situation. Even though I didn’t have best friends in the first week, there was still a group of people I could depend on and trust to be there for me.

It’s true that Barrett wasn’t all artists, and not everyone in Barrett was someone I meshed with. But the diversity is okay. Everyone here has different strengths, weaknesses, and interests they bring to the table. It’s just that we all have a thread that connects us—both our passion and willingness to succeed that got us into Barrett in the first place, and the community of which we are all a part.

In high school, even though I went to an arts school and was in an arts community, I always felt like an outcast. I felt that there were stigmas and judgments attached to me that I couldn’t escape. It doesn’t feel that way here. Barrett is a place where I don’t have to stiffen, don’t have to fight for myself or feel bad about behaving the way I naturally behave. And it’s a relief. While the stress of class work may feel heavy, it is nothing compared to the load that feeling isolated left on my shoulders in high school.

Barrett saved me from the loneliness and crippling homesickness that I may have felt elsewhere. The community here is one of the strongest, most authentic, most wonderful social experiences I have ever had. And even though we’ve all gotten to know one another’s personalities a lot better over the past three months, that hasn’t changed. Friendships have formed, but cliques haven’t. I feel that there is a solidarity in this community that will last for a long, long time, and that will continue to nourish and sustain Barrett generations to come.

I feel extremely lucky and extremely grateful to have found a community like Barrett. I can be myself without being afraid, and that makes all the difference.

Getting Involved – BLASTD

Submitted by Tara Boyd

            In high school I was involved in several organizations, both academic and service-related. I was worried that I wouldn’t have those same opportunities in college, but the Barrett Leadership and Service Team Downtown has given me that and so much more. Through BLASTD I have read to homeless children, painted a chicken coop, made dinner at the Ronald McDonald House, and danced the night away at the Duce with my fellow Barrett classmates.

            My freshman year I got involved simply by attending meetings. There were very few opportunities to help in planning the events, but I enjoyed the ones that I attended. I ended up applying for an executive position for my sophomore year and became the vice president of the club. I am now a junior and the president of BLASTD.

            Over the last few years I have watched BLASTD grow and expand the opportunities to students on the downtown campus. We strive to have at least one community service opportunity a month. In addition we plan an annual Grub Crawl, highlighting the many restaurants in downtown Phoenix and an end of semester social event complete with food and music for all Barrett downtown students. Most recently we partnered with BLAST in Tempe to create our first ever float for the homecoming parade.

            I love seeing members’ reactions to our events and the passion it ignites in students. It’s why I’ve continued to be a part of this organization and why I will remain a part of it until I graduate. BLASTD helped me find my place in college and it introduced me to the amazing downtown community surrounding this school.