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This strong blend of butterflies, anxiety, and excitement that accompanies a freshman’s first day on campus has always been there. But COVID took things to a whole new level. Many freshmen never even had the chance to tour campus.

I am keenly aware that our bodies have absorbed a gauntlet of grief throughout this traumatic year. And some of us, for the first time since March 2020, are stepping onto campuses that have been closed for over a year. How then, when we are committed to seeing God’s kingdom come on campus, do we enter NSO well?

As much as I cherished the moment, I wish I had known that it would be the last football game I’d ever attend as a student. Actually, there were a lot of “lasts” that came sooner than I expected.

As we prepare for a new school year, I believe Jesus’ invitation for us is to see and care for these first-gen students’ unique experiences while also recognizing the agency and gifts they bring—to the campus, our ministries, the world, and the kingdom of God.

I would like to start an InterVarsity group on campus. How do I go about doing that? Michelle, InterVarsity’s North Florida Area Director, had to reread that message a couple times.

Last-minute final papers, weekly discussion posts, and 12-page reports that seem to extend forever—don’t worry, I know the feeling too. For those of us who are students (and some of us who aren’t as well), there are some days—maybe even many days—when writing feels like a chore, something on a checklist to cross off.

The point is that you’ll inevitably hit some speed bumps in your first year of college, and I want to offer you these lessons to help get you through.

As the youngest generation, we may believe the lie that we are useless in times of crisis. But as we mature and understand ourselves more, we should be encouraged and empowered to use our voices.

The canon of Instagram Verses includes some bits of Scripture and excludes others. Left on the outside are verses that are equally hope-filled, soul-stirring, and heart-invigorating, yet just don’t “look” the part.

Even in many places across the country where COVID restrictions are being lifted, and campuses are reopening soon, many things are still difficult with no easy solutions. We can’t avoid the darkness that surfaced in the last year and a half. It can feel overwhelming.