by Hollis Humphrey<\/p>\n
Living in the same city my entire life, I felt deeply connected to the community around me in my hometown, but at the same time I felt ready to grow, itching to experience something new and different. I was exhausted with my mundane experience and longed for a chance to seek community and build a place that felt my own. Moving to Orlando and going to college at UCF was my first step in this process. Any freshman-year-of-college anxieties were quickly overrun by my sheer excitement at getting to experience things I never had before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The very first week of classes I experienced an organization that would bring me the true sense of belonging and community I was seeking at UCF. After my morning astronomy class, a friend and I decided to attend \u201cLavender Brunch,\u201d a drag event hosted by UCF\u2019s LGBTQ+ Services. The event was fun and exciting and the first time I had experienced queer community on campus. When they advertised applications to join the Lavender council, I knew I wanted that to be me. I filled out the application, attended the interview and eventually, after convincing myself I was terribly unqualified and not going to be accepted, received an email offering me a position while in my statistics lecture. I was proud of myself, and incredibly excited to meet the team and begin working with everyone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Events became an excuse for us to hang out as friends while still serving our organization’s purpose, of course. I had found more than just a community I could be a part of, but a group of friends who made me feel like family, like I was home.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Jumping headfirst into our responsibilities, I took every opportunity I could, attending each event, training, and tabling event that I could physically cram into my schedule. The first month flew by, and I felt empowered not only by knowing I was facilitating the connection of students with their community, but also forming my own. Seeing the other Lavender Council members all the time meant I got the chance to connect about their classes, interests and identities. We kept in touch on social media and in attending and planning our meetings.\u00a0 Events became an excuse for us to hang out as friends while still serving our organization’s purpose, of course. I had found more than just a community I could be a part of, but a group of friends who made me feel like family, like I was home.<\/span><\/p>\n As my freshman year came to a close, so did my first year as a Lavender Council member. I knew my work wasn\u2019t finished and that I still had room to grow in the role, so I applied for a second year and continued my work. I continued to plan my own events, took on new responsibilities and learned more about myself as a team member and leader, and learned more about my community. While these responsibilities were often exhausting, and the political climate regarding the community we served was often discouraging, it made every event, every act of community so much more valuable to me.<\/span><\/p>\n