I am a Spartan, true as they come, by blood and by passion.
I knew to reply to “Go green!” with “Go white!” before I knew all my colors.
When I watched Team USA’s 9-round hockey shootout against Russia in the Olympics, I inexplicably shouted “GO GREEN!” when T.J. Oshie scored the winning goal.
I come from a line of Spartans going back to the 30s. My grandpa allegedly knew Mary Mayo and several other people MSU buildings are named after.
My parents met here in the 70s and all five of my older siblings are or soon will be MSU graduates. This is where a Jenks belongs.
They might not be the most affectionate family all the time, seeing as they went to the Rose Bowl without me (something I will never truly forgive), but I know they’ll support me deep down in whatever I do.
Due to a pretty hefty age gap, I rarely visited my siblings when they went here. I didn’t go to an MSU football game until I was in high school, I didn’t even know East Neighborhood existed until I moved into it and I didn’t know what Rick’s American Cafe was until I got here.
East Lansing seemed a mysterious place to me, kind of like Atlantis but with alcohol. I expected couch fires every weekend and two-story beer bongs at every house, which made me a little nervous when I started as a freshman in the fall, to be honest.
MSU has a reputation as a “party school,” and although there are definitely opportunities aplenty to have fun in East Lansing, I discovered here that being a Spartan is so much more than just sports and house parties. It wasn’t until I became a student that I discovered the academic opportunities on campus as well.
I grew up hearing stories about my family’s antics at MSU involving Big Daddy Cab rides, parties and the “interesting” roommates everyone seemed to end up with. I’m at the butt end of three generations, so I feel like I have a lot to live up to.
I was never really exposed to the academic aspect of MSU before I came to campus, because who wants to tell their little sister about boring classes when you could tell her about the “last true tailgate” against Notre Dame, when everyone partied from dawn until the game started at 8 p.m., or the time the floor caved in at a friend’s party?
When I came here last semester, I realized how privileged I am to be able to attend a university with a great social aspect and amazing academic opportunities -- and that my parents were able to pay for six college educations.
On my first night at MSU, my brother, Ian, introduced me to Welcome Week where I felt truly initiated into MSU’s community. But at the end of the night, he reminded me that for the rest of the year, homework comes before going out.
The best thing about MSU is that Spartans know the perfect balance between when it’s time to study and when it’s time to party.
My family members definitely had their fun, but each of them has become successful. Four are working teachers like my mom and grandpa. My sister followed my dad by studying law, and she is employed by the federal government. My closest brother will graduate this May and is more passionate about earth science than I knew anyone could be.
As for me, my story has yet to be written. I follow in the footsteps of eight Spartans who want the best for me. The family tradition of education and law doesn’t really appeal to me, but I trust that MSU will help me and every other student find what they’re meant to do with their lives.
Emily Jenks is a State News reporter. Reach her at ejenks@statenews.com.
