Michael Koluch - Class of 2001
When I first came to campus for a tour in 1997, Brother Charlie made a huge impression on me, especially since he was just being himself. It was at the beginning of our tour when he stopped and said he wanted me to meet two very important people on Walsh's campus - the snack bar ladies. Not the University President or a professor, but two people I would probably talk to every day of my four years here at Walsh. He knew them by name and we stood chatting for several minutes. It was the way everyone treated each other with respect and kindness on campus that really made an impression on me. So much so, that I decided right then that this was the place for me.
There were so many fun times at Walsh, living in Alexis Hall. There are a lot of things I miss even though I'm still here…like pierogies in the cafeteria, hanging out with friends in Rannou in what can only be described as a "living room", playing guitar with Tom Freeland and other faculty members, and never ever climbing the bell tower.
One trip in particular stands out in my memories, the Student Government White Water Rafting trip of 2000. I literally woke up one morning and decided it would be fun to organize a trip of students to West Virginia for a white water rafting trip. I didn't think to run this past any administrators… I made up my mind to do it and got to work on organizing. I made some phone calls, got money from Student Government and it just seemed to snowball from there. As word got around, I should've realized the adults on campus might have a few concerns. I remember I was walking across campus one day when Dale Howard stopped me and said "don't you think this is something we should talk about?" And looking back, I still smile when I remember my response "I know what you're thinking Dale, but I can assure you, no one is going to die."
Though I was really trying to reassure him, now as director of student activities, that kind of remark would make me very, very concerned. As I'm sure it did to Dale.
I'm happy to say the trip was a success! We had 35 students all together for the weekend with North American Runners in Hico, West Virginia. No one fell off the raft. No one got left behind. And we all had a great time together. I still have the VHS tape if anyone is interested.
And after all the planning and organizing, I even found my eventual career path here with Walsh. Now I leave the white water rafting tours to Dr. Ron Scott.