The moment I set foot on this campus as a high school senior, I knew I had found the place for me.
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It wasn’t because it was beautiful. It was a freezing, gray February day. My father and I trudged through inches of slushy wetness on the tour. But, after seeing so many other campuses, there was something about Franklin & Marshall that felt right.
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And it was—for all kinds of reasons I could never have discovered during a college tour. My professors stretched me in unimaginable ways, helping me discover new talents within myself. My friends supported and challenged me socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
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I learned how to live on little sleep, a fair amount of caffeine, and a lot of adrenaline—the perfect preparation for parenthood.
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This weekend I went back for my 15-year reunion. If you had asked me 15 years ago what I’d be doing today, I wonder whether I would have had any idea.
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I would have guessed I’d be married to a wonderful man who supports and inspires me.
I wouldn’t have been surprised to know I’d be a mother of two, though how could I have known they would have been born in China?
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I could have suspected I’d have a writing career—but who knew journalism would change so much in 15 years?
And I’m blogging. Blogging? Did that even exist in 1998?
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Five years ago when John and I went for my 10th reunion, we weren’t parents yet. Our older son had been born on the other side of the world, but we hadn’t even started the adoption process.
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When I returned to F&M on Saturday, I went alone. It’s an easy drive from Baltimore—not even 1 ½ hours—and the best choice for our children seemed to be to leave them at home with John. It kept our sons on schedule and it meant I actually got to hold conversations with friends and classmates, some of whom I hadn’t seen in five years—or longer.
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As I walked onto campus, I was filled again with that feeling I had back in 1994—a sense of coming home.
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But I was also aware of how that home has changed.
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It used to be that every little difference bothered me. On this visit, though, I found myself admiring the changes. Maybe it’s because I work in higher education or because I’m a little more removed from my alma mater every year, but on this visit I could legitimately see that many of the changes are improvements.
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My college has evolved, and my life has changed, too. And that’s perfectly fine, especially since the additions blend so well with the parts of the campus I remember so well.
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Now let’s see what the next five years bring for F&M—and for me and my family.
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Do you go to your school reunions? How do they meet—or fail to meet—your expectations?