Hope Crosby: To the Campus and Beyond
I have been told my whole life that I need to be a well rounded person in college, hence why I have participated in multiple programs throughout my time at Lander. Yet, the most impactful time of my college experience was not within the campus. It was not even within Greenwood, but as far as 9,000 miles away from my college town. A youth summer program in Walterboro, a mission trip to Utah, and a mission trip to Thailand shaped me into the person I am today and helped me conquer my fear of the unknown.
The day I started doubting my summer job choices was the day I was assigned a young child who is autistic. I had no idea how to care for a child with mental disabilities, but I was given this child last summer when I worked at a daycare. Stories had spread around the daycare about this child. I heard she was starting to get aggressive and was not easy to control. To say the least, I let my fear consume me.
Then, on the first day, this child walked into my room. She was smiling, but non-verbal. This did not stop me from talking to her. Cocomelon was the only thing that could get her attention though. As a young three year old, she absolutely loved Cocomelon. With the bribery of this show, I was able to get her to eat, sit, and follow directions–all requirements of a k-2 class. Little did I know what a challenged recess would bring.
On the playground there is no Cocomelon, but there are many wood chips. Wood chips were a delicacy to this young child. I would turn around and she would have six wood chips in her mouth. I would run over to the child and try to take them out of her mouth, but this would result in retaliation. Time after time I was kicked, bit, and pinched as I took wood chips out of her mouth. After about two days of this, I knew the wood chip eating had to end. The problem was I had no idea what to do.
When I am out of options I always turn to peers around me. Luckily, those peers consisted of teachers who had taught 10+ years. I knew those teachers would have solutions that I had never thought of due to their past experiences, so I consulted them. I was given ideas of using fidget toys or talking to the therapist. Ideas were given that worked, but if I had never consulted these teachers the problem would have never been solved.
Towards the end of this same summer I was sent to Logan, Utah on a mission trip. The thought of flying across the country to go talk to strangers was terrifying, but I pushed through the week. I was assigned to the prayer table at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. The sign attached to my table said “Need Prayer?” and on top of the table sat dog treats and water bottles. It was a hot, mid July day and my mind was not empathetic in the least. I was ready to leave and was not focused on serving the community. Yet, I offered water and dog treats to almost everyone that passed by in a robotic manner. One bottle was handed after the other, as I was not getting to know the receiver of the water bottle. Little did I know one man would shock me after I handed him a bottle.
He rode through the park on an old bicycle and had dirty clothes. It was obvious he was homeless. Once again focusing on the heat, I handed this man a water bottle and turned away. He said “I need prayer.” Immediately, I realized how horrible my attitude was. There was this man standing in front of me with dirty clothes and a weathered complexion. Yet, there I was with brand new clothes on and had just eaten pizza an hour ago. My attitude changed completely after I realized the differences between us and my empathy began to grow. This man began to tell me his story. His son was up for murder and his trial was the next day. He wanted prayer for his son, something I would've missed if this man hadn't had the courage to speak up. I was able to pray with the man and empathize with his story. The thought came to me of how many people I missed due to my careless behavior. From then on out, I asked every person that walked by if they needed prayer.
Pushing myself past my fear, I have recently taken a trip to Thailand. In Thailand, I had the opportunity to serve on a mission. I shared the gospel and taught English to college students on a Thai campus. If I had to rate these experiences based on fear, Thailand would sit on top. I had never been out of the country before and a 23 hour flight time terrified me. Little did I know the flight time would be the least of my worries. As soon as we landed, I was told my suitcase was lost. That suitcase held my life’s belongings. Defeat was all I felt. Then, I got in a car and got sick. The feeling of embarrassment and just wanting to feel normal was overwhelming. I was scared and feeling unsafe, especially without my luggage.
I remember sobbing in the hotel, begging for a plane ticket home, but a teammate of mine encouraged me. In that moment I remembered how big of a leap of faith I had taken and I gave myself some grace. Calming down in that moment and allowing comfort to take over encouraged me to continue throughout the rest of the trip. I had the experience of a lifetime immersing in Thai culture and telling others about the Lord. Once again proving that the largest impacts are made beyond the campus of Lander.
A small town in South Carolina, another state across the country, and another country across the world may not seem to relate but they do. All of my college experiences taught me that it is okay to expand beyond Lander’s campus. Yes, all of these experiences made me well rounded, but ultimately they made me a better person. I have always been afraid to step outside of my comfort zone, so I have turned down many opportunities. Forcing myself to experience things outside of my comfort zone allowed for a confidence to build like no other. Without these experiences I would not be able to talk in front of a crowd of people or teach enthusiastic lessons in the classroom. Thus, this encourages me to not let fear of the unknown get in the way of having the most impactful experiences of my life.
Hope Crosby is an early childhood education major from Walterboro, South Carolina. She completed a mission trip to Utah, a summer job at a daycare facility, and a mission trip to Thailand during her time in the Honors College. After graduation, she plans to teach in a low-income early childhood classroom in South Carolina.