Our Golden Rulers had a big day this week. We loaded up and headed to Centenary University for a full campus visit, and you could feel the excitement before we even got out of the van.

Walking around campus, our members were taking it all in. The buildings, the green spaces, students heading to class. A few of them wanted to know what the classrooms looked like inside. Others were more interested in figuring out where the dining hall was. Priorities, right?

Lunch was a highlight. We ate together in the campus dining hall and it felt like a real college experience. Picking out your own food, finding a table with your friends, talking about what you’d study if you went to school here. One of our members said they’d pick art. Another said cooking. Someone else just wanted to come back for the pizza.

The smiles in the photos from that day say everything. There’s something about being on a college campus that opens people up. It’s a different setting than what our members see day to day, and that shift in scenery does real things for confidence. Walking around a big, new place and feeling comfortable? That’s a skill. Ordering your own lunch in an unfamiliar cafeteria? That’s a skill too.

Community outings like this are a big part of what we do at Lennon’s House in Rockaway, NJ. We don’t believe the best learning happens inside four walls all the time. Our members volunteer at 11th Hour Rescue, compete in Special Olympics, go bowling, visit local shops, and now they can say they’ve been to college.

We’re already talking about the next trip. If you’ve got ideas for where our crew should visit next, we’re all ears.