Until I came to George Mason I never thought of the importance of community.  Mostly because I never felt a part of one.  I had been a part of bands throughout school but to me that was always coming together to create music, I had few friends in band, and my school had few activities that required us to act together as a community, except the occasional concert.

This past year I feel a part of two communities.  Dickenson First and New Century College.

Dickenson First is my dorm hall.  Our RA created nametags for us this year.  All of the doors on my hall have the same image of a butterfly.  It very much creates a sense of community.  Especially if you visit the other halls and see that many do not have tags as nice as ours.  Dick 1 was one of the few floors that did a hall secret Santa and Christmas party.  I have many friends on my hall and some of us are rooming together next.  Year I know I will really miss the Commons because next fall we are in Patriot Village, which has no community feel.  There is no common area or building for gathering.  There are no Ras to encourage getting to know the people around.  Still I will always have my Dick 1 memories.

The First Year Experience has definitely created a community.  All of us freshmen have shared memories of field trips, assessments, daily writings, and presentations.  In this community you have an automatic study partner, as it is easy to get in contact with others from class.  From this community too I have many friends.  These friends are different from my Dick 1 friends; there are different memories, inside jokes, and lingo.

For the first time I have felt a part of community.  To have shared memories with more than a handful of people allows me to feel that I have a wider connection to my past.  And as this year ends a wider opportunity for the future.