By AMY JONES / Associate Editor

I well remember the day I moved from Talladega to Auburn to start my college career. My parents and I packed everything I needed in our van, drove to Auburn and began unloading my stuff. We had a couple of people offer helping hands, but it was mostly just us.

After a few hours, we were done moving my stuff in and it was time for my folks to go. After seeing them off, they left and I vividly remember having a few moments of loneliness and panic bubble up.

Thank goodness, that didn’t last for long, and within days, Auburn was my home.

However, when I read our reporter Stephanie Brumfield’s story about University of Montevallo students, alumni, faculty and staff helping incoming freshmen unload boxes and get settled in, I thought back on my moving day experience and realized how nice it would have been to have just a little more help.

If other students had been there to help us, it would have made the transition a little easier — in more ways than one. I might not have felt quite so lonely when my family left if I had already known a few students I could chat with, and we certainly would have gotten all my stuff into my dorm room a lot faster!

UM’s move-in day is a neat tradition on a campus full of neat traditions, such as College Night and Founders’ Day.

For her story, Brumfield spoke to UM staff member Sharon Gilbert, who said she decided to help because when she was in school, they didn’t have anything like this.

“We used to have a saying, ‘This is the warmest welcome in the South.’ This is their new home away from home, and we give them that impression,” Gilbert said.

UM is currently working to grow its student population through strategic improvements, such as launching a new softball program and opening the University of Montevallo on Main facility. With UM’s new developments and old traditions, I doubt the university will have any problem attracting students.

Amy Jones is the associate editor for the Shelby County Reporter. To get in touch with her, email her at amy.jones@shelbycountyreporter.com.