THIS IS OUR VALLEY

THIS IS Our

VALLEY

BY ERIN TOZIER, 2021

Anyone who has spent time on the grounds of Young Harris College will tell you the same thing—there is something inexplicably alluring about the Enchanted Valley.

Students, staff, faculty, and alumni alike will all emphatically attest to YHC’s natural beauty, unanimously finding our rural little campus to be a peaceful sanctuary cradled by the gentle slopes of North Georgia’s mountains.

But they will also all agree that there is no way to adequately describe the intangible essence of the Valley that gives it its charm, or to try to explain how YHC will always hold a distinctly special place in the hearts of all who have been fortunate enough to learn and live here over the years.

It seems that once you’ve stepped foot on campus, no matter how long you may spend away or how far you may find yourself from it, there will always be a little cluster of beautiful brick buildings in the heart of the Appalachian foothills that waits to welcome you back again.

I think that’s why, for me, when I got the opportunity to return to YHC to work just a few months after my graduation, there was no other way to express the feeling than “I’m coming home!”

The four years I spent at YHC as an undergraduate student were, without a doubt, some of the greatest of my life. I spent so many carefree days just happy to exist in the Valley, laughing with friends on the lawn, picnicking and reading on homemade patchwork quilts, or swinging lazily in hammocks we hung from the creaky wood posts of the gazebo.

Of course, there were also the busy days, the ones I spent serving on Underground Student Ministry’s leadership team, leading the YHC Equestrian Club, working as an English tutor in the Success Center, or representing my major in our campus chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Studies Honor Society. I really made an effort to be involved in as much as I could while in college, forming close relationships with my peers and professors along the way.

And yes, there were also many long nights I spent dutifully writing essays, catching up on class readings, or cramming for exams. But even the stress of my studies fades in comparison to the memories of community and connection that were fostered in this place. I grew here, learned here, and met my best friends here. So much of who I am, of the goodness in my life, I owe to Young Harris College.

I am not sure when exactly I started referring to the mountains of YHC like they were my own, but it was one of those things that I knew was irrevocably true before I ever consciously acknowledged it.

Perhaps it began in the thunderous cheers and shouts of pride that swirled around me at my first Purple Out basketball game, or maybe it was in the comforting silence of the stars blinking down from above after an evening Chapel worship—I don’t think I had ever seen a sky so bright and clear before. It could have been in the reverent hush of freshman Convocation, the boisterous commotion of the dining hall during Thanksgiving Dinner, or the soft taps of keyboards and rustle of book pages in the library during finals. Wherever it started, it became a gentle refrain that only grew stronger throughout my time as a student. Each poignant moment I experienced at this little college nestled in the mountains echoed a deep feeling of belonging, a sense of home. What was even sweeter was seeing that same sentiment take root in my friends as we all navigated life in college together. The Enchanted Valley became my home just as much as it was theirs. We collectively knew that we would not leave this place without being moved and changed for the better. And I did, of course, eventually have to leave— twice, actually. The first was when I was a junior, during that fateful early March weekend in 2020 when the growing national COVID-19 health crisis unexpectedly prevented us all from returning to campus for the rest of the semester. I remember that I had just returned home from a Religious Life service trip that I had

I am not sure when exactly I started referring to the mountains of YHC like they were my own, but it was one of those things that I knew was irrevocably true before I ever consciously acknowledged it.

volunteered on with some friends, only to later find out that it was the last time I would get to see many of them for a while.

Our last moments together at YHC that semester were memories of midterms and late-winter snow instead of the traditional spring tulips. When finals week eventually rolled around, my heart ached to think that there wouldn’t be any students teetering precariously down the campus wall together at midnight or hanging out at Cram Jam to take a communal break from studying.

I can only describe those strange early months of the pandemic that we spent finishing our classes online, in isolation, away from YHC, as a bout of homesickness in which we were not sure we would recover from. Like everyone else, I missed the mountains, missed the classrooms, missed my friends. I didn’t know if the little college I had grown to love so much would ever look the same again.

But then—somehow, after a long uncertain summer, we were able to slowly, safely, make our way back to YHC in the fall.

We were cautious, but optimistic, and I still recall how my heart rose in my throat at the sight of that double-knobbed mountain skyline finally coming back into view above the highway as I drove up to campus for move-in. I don’t think there has ever been a more joyous homecoming than the one YHC saw that August, even if we had to smile at each other with shining eyes above our face masks instead of joining in embrace.

While there were some challenges to navigate that year, I found that the spirit of Young Harris still persevered among its people, just like it always had— and perhaps even stronger than before, with newfound gratitude after all the time we had spent apart.

I didn’t take a single day in the mountains for granted throughout my senior year, making sure to try to pause and intentionally cherish every moment I spent on campus (even those experiences and traditions that may have looked a little different this time around).

Despite my every effort to get time to slow down, May arrived in a whirlwind of capstone presentations, senior banquets, and graduation practices. The cap and gown that hung on the back of my dorm room door were stark reminders that it was time for me to leave the Valley again, this time with a diploma and four years of a truly remarkable education in hand.

At my commencement ceremony, I was incredibly honored to receive both the Charles R. Clegg Outstanding Scholar Award and the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award, both tangible testaments to my unforgettable Young Harris College education and experience. As I bid a tearful goodbye to lifelong friends and cherished professors and headed out into the world with the class of 2021, I felt that the quintessential YHC student motto was unmistakably true: my heart really will always be Mountain Lion purple.

Because of that love I felt for Young Harris, I found that I struggled a bit with my job search post-grad. It was difficult for me to imagine feeling as passionate about anything else as I did about YHC and its place in higher education—and I knew that whatever career path I would decide on, I wanted my work to be not just something I do, but something I wholeheartedly believe in.

As they have always seemed to do, these mountains were calling me home.

That’s why only a few months after graduation, when I heard that a promising position had opened up at my beloved alma mater, I did not hesitate to apply. I think I knew deep down that I would always find my way back to YHC one way or another—and perhaps this challenging post-grad season was the perfect time for a new chapter here in the Valley, one that would broaden and build upon the foundation I already knew and loved deeply.

I received the job offer phone call on a Thursday afternoon that October. In a moment of serendipity, the call actually happened while I was walking across the campus lawn for the first time as an alumna on my way to visit some old friends. Standing there in the heart of my favorite place, cell phone pressed to my ear with trembling hands—it was the easiest “yes” I’ve ever said!

A few days after I accepted the job, I ecstatically shared a photo of myself in a YHC purple t-shirt on social media, announcing with great joy that I was headed back to my favorite North Georgia mountains for good. A wonderful former professor of mine commented on the post, saying, “I am so glad you are coming home!”

Yes, I thought, I am. As they have always seemed to do, these mountains were calling me home.

It hit me then that I really was returning to Young Harris College, but this time with the chance to spend each day pouring back into the campus and community that had given so much to me over those past four years.

I officially began working full-time as Advancement Coordinator for YHC’s Office of Advancement in November of 2021, and it has been one of the most meaningful and memorable adventures of my life. As an alumna-turned-employee, I have been able to carry all that I learned and enjoyed about YHC while I was a student here into my professional life. Every day, I am genuinely excited to go in to the office knowing that the work I do furthers the mission of the institution that I love.

And I am certainly not the only graduate who has returned to support YHC. I have been so inspired by the amount of our faculty and staff that also fell in love with this place as students—whether only a few years ago or fifty—and have come back to dedicate their careers to ensuring that the College continues to thrive for the future generations of Mountain Lions.

Though I no longer carry a backpack with me on my walks around campus or take mid-afternoon naps in a twin XL bed, spending my days in Young Harris always feels like stepping back in time. It is surreal to think that the Valley that I received my education and my first full-time job from is the same Valley that has nurtured so many others before me—perhaps we even studied in the same classrooms, sat on the same brick walls, or found solitude under the same trees.

And though the face of the campus may change over the years as it continues to grow and evolve, I believe the heart of Young Harris College remains the same. We will always find friendly faces in the kind and compassionate people who have been drawn to this place each year, swapping stories of years gone by and years still yet to come. There will still be that Mountain Lion pride, that persistent delight in our campus, that blossoming hope for the future as each new class of inspired and empowered graduates heads out into the world. And when you get the chance to return to YHC— whether as a student, alum, or employee; whether it’s been days since your last visit or decades; there will always be a familiar voice, like the rustle of a cool mountain breeze through the Valley, that whispers, “Welcome home.”

passionate WHAT ARE YOU ABOUT?

YHC introduced four new scholarships for Giving Day 2022. The goal is to raise $10,000 for each. Every $1,000 will support a current YHC Mountain Lion! Visit yhc.edu/give now to donate online.

Defend the Den Scholarship Fund

Young Harris College’s student-athletes work tirelessly to crush it on game day and exam day. Their schedules are packed, no matter if their sport is in season or not. Gifts to this fund support these students who happen to make up nearly 40% of our student population. Help these student-athletes Defend the Den by giving a gift to this scholarship.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at YHC Scholarship Fund

This fund supports underrepresented students from minority groups here at YHC. Stand with YHC’s DEI efforts and support these students.

Louisa Franklin Female Empowerment Scholarship

The Louisa Franklin Scholarship will be made available to female students attending Young Harris College. Since its inception, YHC has offered higher education to female students, even when it was unpopular to do so.

Louisa Franklin served our campus community for 37 years, and she did so in many roles. She is beloved by alumni, faculty, and staff alike, and we honor her with this scholarship!

Trailblazer Scholarship Fund for First-Generation Students

YHC is a welcoming home for first-generation college students, those whose parents did not yearn a four-year degree. These students are trailblazers in their families—stepping out into the unknown to further their education. Show your support for these brave students by donating to this fund.