You'll Never Walk Alone
Yes, it is a sports
analogy, I know they all seem a bit cliché but, hear me out. Besides, a little rah-rah pep talk is
sometimes needed (especially after our fall rush periods).
Several years ago, I
got into watching soccer (or football depending on where you come from), and
over time I started to follow the English Premiere League. My favorite quickly
became a team from Liverpool, England. “The Reds,” Liverpool Football Club (LFC)
has been around since 1892, with a storied history and fans from all corners of
the globe. Besides being one of the most
successful clubs in the history of the sport, I was drawn to the team’s sense
of family and the comradery between the fans, players, coaches, and owners. When I first started to watch and follow LFC,
they were not the best team in the league. Yet no matter how bad they did, that
sense of family was always strong.
Support, Community, Grit, Solidarity … a way of life... We are a Family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhqiSO_UFxg
I have travelled quite bit in the past few years; I always seem to find a fellow Liverpool fan. That brings me to the title of this post. Since 1963, the club’s anthem has been "You'll Never Walk Alone." It was a chart toping hit from Gerry and the Pacemakers and part of the British invasion. The song has become so engrained in the team it is now on their official crest, and recognized as their official pregame anthem. The song and the abbreviation YNWA have come to personify that the family of LFC fans and its togetherness is what is most important, not their athletic performance the “pitch.”
Just
walk around wearing an LFC shirt or hat in almost any place in the world, and I
can guarantee you someone will shout out “You’ll Never Walk Alone” or “Go Reds!”
Hearing someone say that, instantly
connects you no matter where, or who, you are.
Does any of that sound familiar?
I say
this because I was thinking about what connects me so much to, not just higher
education, but the financial aid profession specifically. Sure, first I love the fact that I am
helping students achieve their college dreams, much as I was able to achieve
mine. As a first-generation college
graduate, I am grateful to financial aid for what it allowed me to accomplish.
I feel like I am giving back a little bit to the world. However, could I not also do similar work in
the admissions, advising, and registrar’s offices? (My boss tells me to shake
my head “No!”)
We
could work in numerous departments within higher education and impact students’
lives. But I think the financial aid profession is special because of the sense
of family and connection through shared struggles and success. Much like fans of “The Reds,” no matter where
we are, we will always find some who works in aid and are INSTANTLY CONNECTED.
We
are all connected by the same rules and regulations beyond our schools; we do
not usually compete over students, per se, like some of our counterparts in
other departments. We often feel
somewhat separated from other divisions in our own colleges because of long
hours, deadlines, and accountability. In
many cases we are closer to our FA counterparts at other schools than folks in
our own school because they “understand” where we are coming from and where we
are going.
By
and large, Financial Aid professionals want to help all students regardless of
where they attend. We understand the
need for post-secondary education and fight for access for all students. Moreover, that drive and that sense of
kinship often set us apart from the rest of higher education. You can see this at conferences, workshops,
webinars, in emails and phone calls between us.
It shows just how selflessly and willingly we help each other out. I do not see the same level of sharing (information,
processes, insights, and support) come as readily from other departments as it
does from within financial aid.
So
next time things are rough for you, last minute students are in your office and
you cannot see your desk for all the papers, remember. Remember that you are part of the best
family/community in higher education, with thousands of others that will never
let you walk alone. Just watch the video
of LFC fans and players and imagine that we are like them one voice for our
students and each other…. You Never Walk Alone.
