HEY WHAT? This is the response that over two hundred students gave in order to get the day’s activities started. S.O.A.R is the Stockton Outdoor Adventure Retreat for incoming freshman. It is a three day, two-night exploration that began on August 25th. These students moved in two days prior to the rest of Stockton’s Class of 2019 which most viewed as a bonus. After students finalized moving their belongings into their dorms, they said goodbye to their friends and families and were bussed to Camp Ockanickon.
The program was run by a variety of staff members and forty-four hardworking T.A.L.O.N.S. The Activity Leaders Of New Students, also known as T.A.L.O.N.S, were volunteer upperclassman who wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of Stockton’s newest students. They were in charge of facilitating all of the activities for their corresponding tribe. There were seven tribes; yellow, red, green, navy, sky, orange and purple tribe. Each group became instantaneously close with roughly thirty other people by simply sharing the same tribe color.
The retreat involved team building activities, challenging exercises, diversity discussions, free time and plenty of icebreakers! The experience is meant to help incoming freshman transition into college life and get a head start on meeting new people, as well as acquire real leadership skills. It is a memorable and interesting experience that tests you both as an individual and as part of a team. I attended S.O.A.R and my personal boundaries were broken and it helped me grow in so many ways. I went into the situation as a pessimistic who didn’t even really want to be there, and came out as a better person with many new friends. By the end of the third day each student had “conquered their lion” and were fully capable of flying like an Osprey!
I was extremely proud after conquering my lion and I owe that all to S.O.A.R. It can be very frightening to face an inner conflict that you have never had the courage to attempt changing. For me, heights always seemed like an unbearable obstacle that I would fear. At S.O.A.R everyone was given the challenge to get comfortable being uncomfortable. The ultimately goal of the staff was to have students truly reach beyond their known potentials. I was able to accomplish this through the heights challenge when I climbed the rock wall. My heart was racing and I was skeptical, but I knew the only things we regret in life are the chances we don’t take, so I went for it. Conquering my lion was a life changing experience that I will never forget.
The TALONS of each tribe exemplified admirable qualities that made the experience more meaningful than just a camping trip. They were able to give realistic and insightful views to Stockton’s academic opportunities, campus life, available clubs and much more. It was extremely helpful to be given the opportunity to make connections with such caring individuals who had the ability to ease the new student’s worries away. They explained their personal stories about getting lost on the first day of classes and not knowing where to go for food. For some reason this made everything seem much better. It was finally understood that we weren’t the first to go through this and all before us had come out on top. Knowing this made beginning my college career much easier! Everyone involved in S.O.A.R fostered a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere that made the trip a true success. I am beyond thankful that I had the opportunity to attend S.O.A.R and I will most definitely be applying to be a TALON, so I to can continue enhancing the college experience for others!