I had a ton of fun at Ignite Knox this past 4 days! My group was amazing and I met several out of state people, even someone from New Jersey! Together we learned so much about Knoxville, our home for the next 4 years… But I’m still not sure if we could be considered regular Knoxvillians just yet! 😀
On the first day of Ignite, I met with various Knoxville area alumni and learned about their journey to where they are now, and their advice to incoming freshman. UT has some wise alumni! There were tips on how to survive 8 am classes, where the best coffee on campus was, and how to take advantage of all UT has to offer, like being sure to go to seminars and VOLapalozza at the end of the year to name a few! That night we had the opportunity to wander and explore Market Square, it is so cool that Knoxville has an area where up and coming boutiques, restaurants, and bands can come together and support each other. Wandering Market Square made me think of my trip to Barcelona with my family a few years ago and how the excitement and energy of Market Square reminded me of las Ramblas in Spain. Las Ramblas are streets that are pedestrian only and have amazing restaurants, stores, musicians, and people all along them, and it truly is amazing to walk, smell, taste and hear the culture of Spain. I had a similar feeling and thought when I was going through Market Square. Of course, we ended the night at Cook Out, a local favorite burger joint… I was hoping it would be my replacement for Whataburger, sadly it was no replacement for the great Whataburger. 🙂
The next day my team got back together to do what everybody does when they are new to a city… take a trolley tour! While it was touristy, I learned so much about Knoxville and what there is to do here. For example, did you know that Knoxville has the world’s largest basketball? The fun trolley tour was followed with a personality test and team building activity. Later in the afternoon, we had Ignite excursions and mine was touring Neyland Stadium. It was so cool to see all the athletic facilities! We even got to go in the locker room…it’s extremely nice. And I saw Peyton Manning’s Locker. How many people can say that?! I had a blast on the tour and seeing all the cool rooms in Neyland that I would never have been able to see without the tour! We wrapped up the day by going to a Tennessee Smokies game and cheering them on as they played the Montgomery Biscuits. Unfortunately, the Ignite Knox program was not the good luck charm the Smokies needed, and they lost to the Biscuits. Even though the home team lost, our time at the old ball game was super fun… I’ll definitely be returning to cheer on the Smokies!
On the third day of Ignite, we focused on giving back to our new home that has already given us so much. My group went to the Beck African American Cultural Center for our community service. When we got there my group divided into smaller sections and were sent to different parts of the museum to begin working on the projects. I went to help in the archive room with alphabetizing and digitally making a record of all the records they had… there were a lot of records! It was so fun to do community service that was appreciated and impactful in my new city. At the end of the night, Ignite did a ceremony called what does it mean to be a Volunteer. This was an incredibly moving experience and caused me to feel even more connected to my volunteer family!
On my last day in Knoxville with Ignite, my group and I took pictures, ran through the fountains at World’s Fair Park, and went up into the Sunsphere! While in the Sunsphere, I had my first-ever Krispy Kreme donut. It was life changing! 🙂
As you can tell, the past four days have been very crazy but I had a ton of fun at Ignite and I would highly recommend that all freshmen participate in one, if not two, Ignite sessions. Ignite has really helped me meet new people, and feel more confident about my next four years at UT! GO VOLS!
