Belmont University - Freshmen First Forty DaysSample

Day 18 – Service

Two years before you are reading this, I was visiting the beautiful city of Nashville for the very first time. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to pursue my future, two thoughts that you probably know very well. I had scheduled a visit at Belmont, but it was later in the afternoon and we had time to kill that morning. So, being a first time visitor, I followed my intuition and became trapped in the tourist-hungry vortex that is Broadway.

We stepped inside a restaurant that had not seen the lunch rush yet. I must have had the look of being overwhelmed and intimidated because before I made it to the counter to place my order, a high-ranking police officer called out to me. As a teenager, no matter if you’re guilty or not, this is a terrifying thing. He looked at me, and I kid you not, said, “You’re not from around here, are you?” I said, "No," and we proceeded to have a long conversation about Nashville and finally, about Belmont.

I don’t remember all that we talked about, but I do remember the last few sentences that he said to me. He closed his remarks with comments about Belmont’s identity to the community and how everyone in the area knew of Belmont’s servant attitude and willingness to positively affect and inspire change outside of its walls.

Now why would I, a student at Belmont, tell you a lengthy story about an experience in my life that is seemingly irrelevant to yours? Because the moral of the story is incredibly relevant to you, dear reader. Belmont, the school that you have chosen to attend and spend four years of your life at, sees the merit of service. You have already served at least once this year, an opportunity provided by Belmont for you. Why? Because service is a strange, enigmatic ideal that can prove to be confusing. We do it hoping to better someone else, but in the process we ourselves become better.

It’s a win-win!

Kellen Schneider | Sophomore | Motion Pictures