Freshman Pinning

You might hear me say this a lot, but all of Converse's traditions are beautifully significant. After Big Sis/Lil Sis week where you become a Pink Panther or a Red Devil depending on whether you enter on an even or odd year, the school year continues with tons of events including 1889 Spirit Week, Peppermint Ball, Montgomery by Moonlight, Lessons and Carols, Founders Day, and finally Freshman Pinning.







Gwen and I at Freshman Pinning 2012

Freshman Pinning is the first time you receive the signet of Converse College. This ceremony is a time for you and your family to reflect on how far you have come. One of the most exciting parts of the ceremony is that every freshman picks anybody at Converse who they believe have impacted them the most in this year to pin them. For me I chose one of my dear friends, Gwen. Gwen and I met because of the large amount of time we both spent in the music school but also because we were both heavily involved with the theater department. Gwen, both our roommates, and myself became inseparable freshman year. She was and is one of my dearest friends. And in return for her impacting me, my roommate and I also pinned Gwen and Rebecca(Gwen's roommate). These two seniors had some how managed to miss freshman pinning four years ago and it just didn't feel right to let them leave Converse without participating in this tradition.
One of the most exciting things about freshman pinning is that it came full circle for me this year. This past year as an upperclassmen on the Model League debate team I was partnered with a freshman, Taylor Casey. Taylor and I were very much alike. My freshman year on the debate team I was very timid and on the backburner of high performers because of my quietness despite my excellent research. And this was true for Taylor Casey and so we worked together the whole school year which is rather unusual. Generally a freshman will switch partners to get different debate styles, but Dr. Dunn (our team advisor) with some push from me felt it was best to keep us together. As the year progressed I saw Taylor blossom into a young woman growing in confidence and was so excited when she asked me to pin her. 

 

Taylor Casey and I at Freshman Pinning 2013