Becoming a college student in Gainesville this summer was an experience I really enjoyed. I met a lot of new people around town and they’ve become good friends. There’s just one thing they don’t know about me.
I’m a student at Santa Fe.
It’s getting harder and harder to fake as time goes on. As they talk about how good the UF football team is going to be this year I have to hold my tongue instead of bragging that Santa Fe’s basketball team almost made the high school sports playoffs last year.
When they talk about the hazing in Greek life I can’t even mention the hazing that the ex-cons at Santa Fe do to the students with a gpa over 2.0.
When they’re complaining the bus is packed I just want to tell them that it’s worse when it’s just you and a smelly guy who may or may not be alive.
Even I have my down moments though. Sometimes my favorite part of school is seeing the almost finished Bass Pro Shop on the drive there.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous to tell them. Coming out as a community college student is a lot more socially accepted now than fifty years ago.
Saying this all out loud has helped me realize I’m proud of being a Santa Fe student. I might even buy a Santa Fe hat from their gift shop, which actually sells a lot of UF gear.
The only way I could talk myself into sharing this secret with my friends was telling myself that If Joel McHale could make community college seem semi decent then surely I could.
Breaking the news to my friends didn’t go as smoothly as I anticipated. I was almost shaking as I broke the news to five people wearing blue and orange T-shirts, lanyards, and nose rings.
When they found out they slapped the Gators hat off my head, and told me I can never make gas money on the UF Ride Board Facebook page ever again. Pretty soon there was a whole crowd watching, and they booed me out of Target Copy.
Just because Santa Fe accepts everyone doesn’t mean everyone accepts Santa Fe.