As my semester as a new member comes to a close, it feels funny to reflect on my first- ever WASB memory. I think most WASBs would describe their first moment as a WASB as chaotic and full of heightened emotions. But it is also the moment we each get to meet our Badger Buddy! A Badger Buddy is every new member’s first point of integration into the org, and they are always there to offer support and guidance, especially during your first semester. When I found out I was accepted into WASB last spring, I was immediately thrown into a crowd of 64 new faces. Though overwhelming, having my WASB mom, Jaclyn, there to lead the way made it infinitely easier.
As unfortunate as it was that I had to wait three months for my in person WASB experience to begin at Fall Retreat, both Jaclyn and Mason (my WASB dad who I had yet to meet – I am lucky enough to have two!) made it easy to be excited to come back to campus. Mid-summer check ins via photo dump were a great way to stay in contact and get to know my new Wamily. The same night that I met Jaclyn, a senior on the org told me that she felt jealous that us new members still had the rest of our college careers on WASB. Even while WASBs were sprinkled all over the country and world over summer break, my Badger Buddies made sure that I felt the WASB love that the now graduated senior spoke so highly of.
Since then, I have gone on coffee dates with my Badger Buddies, Wamily walks, and even an extended Wamily dinner. What is an extended Wamily, you may ask? The greater WASB family is connected through shared Badger Buddy parents, grandparents, cousins, and every other possible (and sometimes impossible) familial connection. For me, there are six active members of my Wamily, including my great grandpa Simon, my grandparents Seth and India, and my lovely parents Mason and Jaclyn. But the lineage is even stronger than that: at WASBs Come Home earlier this semester, we got to meet an alum who is also part of my extended Wamily! Although it can still feel like a lot to be on a team of 65 amazing WASBs, having a small group of members that truly feels like a family that I can rely on makes the experience so much better. Fellow new member Maya put it best: “While I look up to lot of the older members and even members in my year that have been on WASB for several semesters longer than me, I always find myself gravitating toward my badger buddies,”; these are the very first people we get to form a relationship with on the org.
The Badger Buddy program is incredibly impactful for new members, but it also allows more experienced WASBs to connect with new members and help inspire the next leaders of WASB. When I asked Molly, a senior on WASB, about her Badger Buddy experiences, she told me that not only did her Badger Buddy make her feel welcome on the org, but she inspired Molly with her passion and energy. This was something that encouraged Molly to have her own Badger Buddy; she wanted to pay it forward to the next generation of members.
One tradition I loved from our semester retreat was new member introductions. Before we got on the bus to Hoofbeat Ridge, each new member was introduced by their Badger Buddy, who jointly created a T-shirt covered with an assortment of random facts and hot takes. Spending that ten minutes with Mason and Jaclyn made me even more excited for the retreat than I was before. That’s exactly what I look forward to when I eventually have a WASBaby of my own.
Putting yourself out there by applying to WASB can be daunting, so being able to help a new member feel comfortable at the start of their WASB journey is something I can’t wait to do. At retreat, this shirt served as a conversation starter to help me get to know the other members of the org. Now, it is a reminder of one of my first WASB memories with my Badger Buddies that I get to keep forever.
Both Mason and Jaclyn are studying abroad next semester, so my active Wamily will be cut in half temporarily. With that said, I know that I will always be able to find a Badger family through my Badger Buddies, no matter how far away they are. Although I am not quite ready to be a Badger mom myself yet, I hope that by the time they come home in the spring, we will have a new WASB to welcome to the family!