Prior to the start of this school year, Erin Walls ‘21 was approached by an incoming freshman who inquired about how to join clubs and get involved at LT. Walls then approached LT director of student activities Peter Geddeis, and pitched the idea of creating a resource to help incoming freshmen transition into the school, especially since the first quarter would be remote. 

“Everyone can find a way to get involved, but they just need the ability to find out how to do that,” Walls said. 

Walls created an Instagram account @lt_freshman_mentoring where freshmen can view videos of seniors talking about their experiences with different clubs at LT. She approached other seniors and told them about her idea to create a resource to help freshmen make themselves comfortable within the LT community. The seniors she talked to sent in informational videos of various clubs and extracurricular activities at LT. 

“I think with COVID-19, us freshmen didn’t get a proper introduction to all the clubs and activities,” Emma Schultz ‘24 said. “It helped me decide what I wanted to be interested in because at first I didn’t really know which club or activity was right for me. These videos made me more aware of all the clubs, and it helped me find which path I wanted to take.”

Freshmen who are interested in certain clubs send an email to Walls, and she provides them with the club’s information and who to contact, Walls said.

“I think this account helps us freshmen navigate the clubs at LT because we get a snapshot of each club which is really helpful because LT has so many and it’s hard to figure out what we want to do,” Kathleen Grubish ‘24 said.

Along with providing freshmen with information about clubs, tutoring is available to freshmen who get into contact with Walls either via email or via the Instagram account. Walls hopes to keep this resource active even after COVID-19 to help all future incoming freshmen adjust to LT.