A sense of community; that’s what Northwestern is all about. The Bridge Center lives up to that calling and provides a place where everyone can feel part of something and come as they are. This is what creates community. There is something special about how small the group is that gets the opportunity to attend.
The Bridge Scholar retreat is an opportunity for Scholars to learn about who other involved are and what makes them tick.
On the retreat, they had a chance to connect with people from campus that they might not have had the opportunity to connect with otherwise. There were moments of downtime where they found themselves diving into conversations about who they were and where they all came from. There were also lots of team-building exercises, which is a favorite parts of the whole trip. This year, scholars were broken up into two small teams who got to zip-line, walk through a high ropes course ,and have the chance to kayak and canoe on Lake Okoboji. Most people were able to stay afloat, but that was not the case for all.
A highlight of the team bonding happened on the high ropes course. When it came time to go on the high ropes course, one member started to panic. She did not want to attempt the towering course but at the same time, she did not want to walk away regretting not taking the chance and going out of her comfort zone.
Dr. Chris Nonhof was one of the adult leaders on the trip and even though the scholar believed she was concealing her anxiousness Dr. Nonhof saw right through her. He did not pressure her to go on the ropes course or call her out for being scared, instead, he encouraged her by telling her that he would go either right in front of her or right behind her to encourage her along the way.
A sense of peace rushed over her by his simple gesture. She was climbing her way up the pole. As she climbed her way up and stepped onto the small wooden platform at the top, Dr. Nonhof spoke nothing but encouragement.
As the scholar made her way through the ropes course he followed behind and continued to encourage and compliment her. It wasn’t just Dr. Nonhof that cheered on the nervous student though, her fellow team members also encouraged her along the way, and made her feel capable and brave. This is just a small glimpse into a fraction of the weekend-long retreat.
Bridge Scholars encourage students to check out the Bridge Center, come to an event alone or with friends, and spend some time with the leaders, the Scholars, the interns.
