Andy’s Welcome Back Party

Last Sunday, on September 4, Andrews University hosted the Andy's Welcome Back Party to invite new students, returning students, and the community to the grand beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year. Although the party itself was scheduled to take place at 6:30 PM, other activities were prepared throughout September 2-4 under the name, “Andy's Welcome Weekend.” It started with the Proximity Vespers, in which the Grammy award-winning gospel artist Kierra Sheard-Kelly performed a concert. On Saturday, a range of worship services occurred for students to experience the spiritual atmosphere of the campus. Sunday was packed with fun and games; in total, 15 activities were prepared on and off campus, free of charge for students. My friends and I participated in two of them—canoeing in the morning and rollerskating in the afternoon. Despite the chaos of suddenly losing my vision due to the abrupt escape of my contact lens from my left eye, all of these excursions only lifted my hopes and expectations for the evening. And they for sure went beyond those expectations.

Even before the event properly started, lines were extending from the administration building to the front of the seminary building, where nitrogen ice cream was provided by the Fire & Ice Pizzeria & Creamery. Flavors offered included chocolate-covered strawberry, blue moon (delicious), cookies and cream, piña colada–and of course, the classic vanilla flavor. The line remained long for several hours, even when the party was wrapping up. Thankfully, the lively hosts kept the long line entertained, and they encouraged people to participate in dance competitions to win Amazon gift cards.

Soon after the first couple of winners won their prizes, the NEST talent show started, featuring many talented individuals on campus. The first few songs continued in a calm atmosphere where most people sat down, waving or clapping their hands to the melodies. Haeun Park (senior, biology), who opened up the talent show with the song "Life's Best Adventure," detailed her experience on the stage and the stories behind what brought her up there.

"So this song…was actually composed by my friend, Keila Valenzuela…The song is basically about how everything in life, regardless of the circumstances and wherever you are on your journey, can become a joyful adventure when you are with God.” Haeun continued to explain, “The lyrics motivated me to get on the stage, even though singing is not my forte. I wanted to share my message…I sang, hoping [those who listened would] understand that it's okay not to know–because God knows, and He got you.”

Although the first half of the talent show was overall still and peaceful, things took a turn when the performers started bringing back 2000s and 2010s nostalgia songs such as “Party in the USA'' by Miley Cyrus (brought to you by the members of the Freshman class) and “Baby” by Justin Bieber. From people screaming at the top of their lungs to others crowd surfing, the components of a pop concert manifested right in front of the James White Library on Sunday night. Amid all these lively early 2000s pop songs, Kavya Mohanram (sophomore, biology) brought the audience back to the present and retrieved some calmness to the scene by singing "Everything I Wanted," by Billie Eilish.

When asked about her performance, Kavya said, "I picked 'Everything I Wanted' because it was a song that got me through a dark time in my life. The song talks about seeing someone next to me; I always thought that someone was God. The song showed me that nobody could hurt me genuinely if God is there.” She goes on to explain that her desire to work on her social anxiety urged her to participate in the talent show. “I ended up feeling very scared on the stage, and messed up a lot, but that was okay because everyone was so nice and cheered me on regardless of my mistakes. I got so many compliments days afterward. It also helped me meet new people, so it was nice."

Nevertheless, the most significant attention-grabber was the grand firework display that decorated the night sky with vibrant colors and patterns. As the fireworks erupted, the message rang clear, “Welcome to Andrews.” After the fireworks, some individuals left the party, but others stayed to grab popcorn and watch “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Enjoying the party while being surrounded by old and new friends made this weekend a very special one for me; but what made the weekend’s activities even more special was that they were incomparable to the events held before at Andrews University. From a gospel singer's concert (and not just anybody, but Kierra Sheard-Kelly!) to free social activities held on and off campus, the past few days were nothing like what I have experienced–at least not during the years I have been a student here. After everything, I was filled with gratitude for the individuals who made this happen. I can only imagine all the effort that was put in to host the events, especially because of the lack of examples from the previous years. As Belva Davis said, it is important to "not be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." The AUSA team, Dean DeLeon, and many other leaders on this campus indeed dreamed big for the students and AU, and they made their dream a reality.