When I got to JMU as a freshmen I was incredibly homesick. I was having a hard time letting go of Richmond and seeing JMU/Harrisonburg as my new home. Fortunately, before I left for JMU I was able to meet Matt Merritt. I have always said, “Matt Merritt IS JMU” because the kid was involved in just about everything. I saw him constantly and it was comforting to see a familiar face.
Matt encouraged me to get involved on campus and promised it would help me fall in love with JMU. Turns out, he was right (Thanks Matt!). I joined a Christian organization, honors organizations, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and applied to be a First yeaR Orientation Guide (FROG). Matt was one of the main factors in finally deciding to apply for FROG. I can say without a doubt being a FROG was one of the best experiences I’ve had at JMU.

Matt graduated last May and accepted a position with the Peace Corps. He left in October for his two year adventure to Lesotho in Southern Africa. I was lucky enough to see Matt about two weeks before he left in Harrisonburg and it’s crazy to think he won’t be stateside until 2016.

However, thanks to the app Viber, today Matt was able to call me! It was so awesome getting to hear him talk about everything he has done so far within his village and how excited he is for what is to come in these next few months. When he called me it was about 2:15 EST and around 9 pm in Lesotho, crazy to think he was getting ready for bed as I was getting done with classes.

Our conversation reminded me of how incredibly fortunate and blessed I am to have the opportunity to even be at JMU getting a degree. One of the biggest things that stuck out to be was when he said “I’ve been here for a little over a month and have yet to have a bad day.” Wow. Sometimes I don’t even give the day a chance to be a good day and decide that because it’s Monday and cold, it will be miserable.

Talking to Matt was a great (and timely) reminder to be thankful for everything in my life- big and small. If anyone is interested in seeing what Matt has been up to, you can check out his blog here.

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