Remember lunch in elementary school? Each kid would sit around with his or her brown paper bag and share and trade food. The lunch table was a place to gossip with friends about the day.

The Women’s Resource Center has a brown bag luncheon every Thursday. Heather Adams, director of the Women’s Resource Center, encourages women from the university – be they students, faculty or staff – to come together during lunch and mingle with other women from the many departments at Kent State.

I have attended two luncheons. At the first one I attended, I met a young woman who is allowing me to publish her art in the newsletter I am designing for the Women’s Resource Center. The second luncheon I attended had a larger turnout than the first. I ran into a girl whom I know from the sorority I am affiliated with at Kent State. We chatted for a while about our summer plans and what she will do after graduation this summer.

I overheard other ladies conversing, and then, all of the sudden, they started speaking another language. I think it was Turkish. The younger lady had a really strong accent, but she is trying to improve her English skills. She has had trouble learning English because she has not met anyone that speaks her language well enough to help her learn. The older lady was delighted to have met her. They talked for a while in the other language before they decided to get together to improve the younger lady’s English skills.

It is amazing how one simple luncheon can help someone so much. This younger woman is going to be far better off now than if she never attended the luncheon. Kent State, or any college for that matter, is great place for building connections. There are so many people on campus can help you in many aspects of life. The opportunities are endless if you take the time to make the connections inside and outside of your major. If you need help with something and do not know where to go, chances are you know someone who knows where to go. These little connections can help you in the long run more than you may now realize.

Embrace new people with open arms and try not to burn any bridges. You never know when you may be the one trying to improve your skills and all you need is that one person who can help you.

Kelsey Henninger is a junior magazine journalism major and columnist for the Summer Kent Stater. Tell her about the connections you’ve made at Kent State at [email protected].