By Layla Gentles
I arrived at Stony Brook campus at 9:08 AM with plenty of time to unpack and settle in before the 11:00 AM meeting. Still, I’ve never liked being the first person to show up anywhere. Not sure why, just a personal thing, I guess.
My parents and I walked to Mount Hall, dodging piles of goose poop and chatting to my mom’s camera (she vlogs… a lot). After unpacking and making a bunch of TikToks with her, I headed to the main lounge to meet the other members of the Greene Team.
About 30 minutes later, we walked to the Newsroom—in the pouring rain. What started as a drizzle quickly became a downpour. I ended up wearing my new Newsday string bag on my head to protect my hairstyle. And yes, as the title says, my socks were (and still are) wet. Honestly, it was a great bonding experience for all of us on the Greene Team.
At lunch, I had sweet potato fries with ranch dressing (yes, that was my whole meal). My friend Faith convinced me to try a ketchup-and-mayo combo. It wasn’t bad… but I wouldn’t do it again.
Not much else has happened yet, but I did run into Ian Chan, a friend from Baldwin and valedictorian of the Class of 2025. It was great to catch up and hear about his engineering program, though I can’t remember the name. He said their days run from 7 AM to 9 PM. Yikes. But if anyone can handle that, it’s Ian. He’s always been one of the hardest workers I know.
Luckily, the rain cleared up on our way back to the Newsroom, leaving behind that classic summer humidity. During our nearly three-hour lecture, I sat there—socks still wet.