This past weekend, I had the opportunity to compete in my first-ever campus-wide competition as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Eight of my sisters and I participated in Stroll to the Polls III, a stroll-off between 11 campus organizations.
Performing in the actual event was so much fun, but putting it all together required much more than what people saw. Part of the competition including raising money for March of Dimes, one of our targets for giving back. All 11 groups were encouraged to raise money and donate it for points in the competition. Although the organizations were competing against each other, some of us still gave to each other’s different collections. Also, much of the Christopher Newport community, including students, faculty and staff all donated to multiple groups at a time.
The other part of the competition was actually performing a five-minute stroll (precisely choreographed dance routine). During performances, everyone cheered, even if you were in an opposing organization. We not only all cheered, but we also gave standing ovations, screamed until we lost our voices and gave out high-fives as performers walked by.
If you looked through the crowd, you could see the genuine happiness on everyone’s faces from just being together in the room. No one was concerned about winning or losing; we all just wanted to see each other go on stage and be great. People I didn’t even know were out there cheering for me like they were a proud sister or brother. My heart was warmed when I saw Ms. Linda, one of the dining hall workers, standing at her seat cheering each team on as if she was a proud mother. It made me happy to see that the Ferguson Center’s Concert Hall was filled up almost to capacity, but it made me more happy to see who was actually sitting in the seats. CNU is more than just a school. We are definitely one big family.
