On Thursday, November 7, all the students here at Loyola Academy had a great opportunity to show fifth through eighth-graders around the school. The tour guides were expected to be on campus from around 4 pm to 8 pm. Throughout this time, they were given a complimentary dinner and were to complete one or two tours by the end of the night.

During the tours, a lot was going on from the rehearsal of the musical “Chicago” to the crazy experiments going on in the Physics Lab. The entire night was very interactive, and it’s a really different experience when you’re touring versus when you’re a tour guide.

Going in, there are a lot of things that you think you should know. What I didn’t realize was how many questions I could answer just based on being a student here at Loyola.

During my tour, I was asked a lot of good questions. One specific question that stuck out to me was at the end of the tour. The girl asked, “What made you choose Loyola?” I remember I had to stop for a moment and figure out how I wanted to word my answer. There were a lot of amazing aspects about Loyola that helped my parents, and I make the decision, but to sum it up in a couple of words?

So like anyone else, I had to stop and think for a moment. In the end, I finally decided that the real reason why I wanted to go to Loyola so badly wasn’t necessarily for the school itself but the community. Sure, the school is fantastic academically; I would never doubt that for a second. However, what makes Loyola truly one of a kind is the community that everyone who has been here over the generations has built.

Being a tour guide is truly a great experience, and being asked all these questions about your school is a lot of fun too. The tour guide experience was an experience that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I’m so appreciative to the siblings and parent I took around the school for allowing me to share with them the amazing environment that is Loyola.