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I came to college with the hope of finding lifelong friends, but the fear of never feeling at home. Twelve weeks into my first semester, I can confidently say that I have found a community that will support me for the rest of my life and a place that became home in moments.
It all started when a friend told me Ignite campus ministry was “the most welcoming environment” she had experienced in college. This was a small moment in time that led to the next: my first worship night at the University of Louisville. Here, I met two guys who would, months later, turn out to be my best friends. I didn’t know it then, but moments were starting to add up.
Ignite holds an event every Thursday called Freshman Dinner. Free food draws every college freshman in at first, but the community is what got me to stay. It was a place where I felt heard, understood, and valued. At my first freshman dinner, another moment struck. I met a girl who had a ring on her finger and began asking her all the details of her love story. Just a few days ago, she asked me to be her maid of honor. At freshman dinner, I began to make connections with some of the best people I have ever met.
Then came fall retreat. I rode to Pyoca, Indiana in a car full of girls and one random guy we got to know very fast. A moment happened: I asked, “what is your worst heartbreak story?” This led us into a spiral of deep conversations about our lives and our battles and our victories. As at most Christian retreats, the moments were countless on our short weekend trip. From conviction to redemption to connection and more, not a soul left those cabins unchanged.
The friendships formed on a car ride led to deeper connections among the freshman, and we decided to have a pumpkin painting party. After spending hours painting, watching movies, playing ping pong, and doing last-minute homework, conversation struck. Questions about our faith, our childhoods, our fears, our doubts, and our worries kept us up all night.
Now that we had big moments under our belt, we started to make the small moments: movie nights, ice cream trips, hours in the library, endless rounds of Uno, trips to Tom Sawyer Park, and more simple, meaningful conversations. My friends and I (or as we now refer to ourselves, family) knew each other’s deepest fears and desires before we knew each other’s favorite colors.
A moment is defined by Oxford Languages as “a very brief period of time.” But for something to be momentous, it must be “of great importance or significance, especially in its bearing on the future.” The two don’t seem to coincide; instead, they seem contradictory. However, my college experience has been filled with a million tiny moments which together have led to community, relationship, happiness, and a place to call home.
So here I am to make this argument:
Perhaps every moment is momentous.
Every conversation with a new face. Every smile given to a stranger. Every first impression. Every bit of advice. Every moment you experience can impact your future. Every moment you spend with a person is impacting theirs.
So, with all of this in mind, I think we should all value the moment more. Make people feel welcomed, get to know people deeply, strive for connection, and be willing to make every moment momentous.
Camryn McPherson is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2025. She is studying psychology and political science at the University of Louisville.