Darrell Worley: Senior memory

When I first heard about Kairos from my classmates, I just thought it was a weird retreat that was overhyped by everyone because they would talk about how it changed them. When it came time for me to go myself, I  became very nervous because I was told a couple of days beforehand that Kairos was mostly about opening up to others about my personal life. I struggled a lot beforehand at opening up because I’m more of a person that likes to stay to himself.

The group I was with was about 90 percent guys, so we got the nickname GUY-ros. The dorm life was chaotic. A guy would go to the bathroom or go get a snack from the lounge and come back to find the bed in his room on the ground, on the windowsill, or even in the hallway. Soon after one bed got flipped, every bed would be ended up getting flipped multiple times. Despite having to fix my room twice every day, it was fun and made dorm life more lively. 

That was not all. The presentations and the group talks during Kairos helped open my eyes to understanding people more and that we all end up going through hardships in our life. I was made to realize that I am appreciated by family and friends, which was a really good feeling that I will not forget. I strengthened certain relationships and became friends with people that I never knew existed or never thought I would have the chance to talk to in school. 

However, most importantly to me, I became much better at being more open when it comes to speaking with others and I vastly improved my communication skills.

Kairos was a worthwhile experience I’m glad I decided to go and would recommend all people to take part in it if they have the opportunity.