Time at TCU passed too quickly, but Frog Camp memories will last
Commentary by Aaron Chimbel

WOW!

Where did the last four years go?

It seems like just yesterday I was sitting on top of a Habitat for Humanity house hammering on the roof as part of Frog Camp during the blistering heat of August 1998. Now, I am about to graduate.

Through all the fun times and hard times, times I would like to forget and times I will never forget, I am very glad I came to TCU. Every semester I am puzzled by seniors who write about how horrible TCU was and the horrid experiences they endured.

Has every single day of my four years at TCU been rosy and perfect? No.

But would I come back in an instant? Absolutely. In fact, I am leaving because I have to, not because I want to.

For me the fun began at Frog Camp and orientation in the months before classes started. It was before any of that, though, when I found out TCU was the place for me. As a second-semester high school senior at Plano East Senior High School I had still not decided where to go for college. I looked at several schools around Texas and had still not found the right place, most likely I would have ended up in Lubbock at Texas Tech. Then on a whim my dad suggested that I visit TCU after he had come over from Plano for business. Since I was not sold on another school I decided to come over during my spring break.

When I arrived on campus, I discovered a place that was exactly what I was looking for. The one memory that stood out in my mind was how friendly everyone was. People I had never met or seen before made an effort to make my dad and I feel comfortable and of course welcome.

One person who stood out during our visit was Richard Allen, a radio-TV-film professor, who took time to talk to me and my father in his office for as long as we wanted. Allen shared why he enjoyed being at TCU, and his enthusiasm and interest in a prospective student spoke volumes about the university. Then when my dad and I went to Blue Mesa for dinner we saw students we had seen during our tour. Those students who barely knew us offered to let us join them, again attesting to the nature of the people at TCU.

Then came orientation and after that something I would grow to love: Frog Camp. I attended Frog Camp Quest, where in addition to doing all of the get-to-know-you games, we worked on Habitat for Humanity homes.

Those few days at Frog Camp proved to be pivotal. At camp I met friends that I have continued to be friends with to this day. Since then I have worked as a facilitator at Frog Camp and this past summer I directed the Quest camp, which was like coming full circle for me.

The opportunities I have gotten at TCU make the four years I have spent here worthwhile. I have continued to find people who are friendly and professors who genuinely care about their students, a philosophy that extends beyond just the classrooms to staff members across campus who do what they can to help students.

As my time at TCU draws to a close I will remember many things about TCU: the squirrels running around, the “great” food at The Main, going to football games, basketball games and lots of other things. But the most important part of my time at TCU has been the people. I have made friendships I hope will last a lifetime, amongst other students, faculty and staff. Of course it all started at Frog Camp.

Associate News Editor Aaron Chimbel is a senior broadcast journalism major from Plano. He can be contacted at (a.a.chimbel@student.tcu.edu).

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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002