The Wildstock Experience

I see why they call it Wild…  

Wildstock 2023 will go down in the books for me. Not because it made my top 10 most memorable nights, but because it was my first one. Attending the concert for the first time in my last year at Linfield was not a personal choice. Instead, it’s a reflection of all the mishaps that have occurred during the last four years.  

College is usually described and portrayed as the “best four years of your life.” In my case, it hasn’t been. It’s just been another four years with plenty of bumps in the road, supplemented with cloud-nine highs and filled with everyday occurrences.   

Wildstock fits somewhere in between.   

Like students worldwide, COVID-19 disrupted my college experience and hijacked my first two Wildstock concerts. I was sent home by the pandemic my first year, less than two months before the annual concert event.  

Returning to campus sophomore year felt like a gift. But being trapped in a dorm room, wearing masks just to walk down the hall, and not socializing outside of my “bubble” didn’t amount to the best memories. It also canceled the majority of spring activities, including Wildstock.    

Junior year was my year of growth.  

I moved into the Hewlett-Packard Apartments (HPs) with my previous roommate and two new girls, who have since become some of my closest friends. In the spring of 2022, I set off for a semester abroad in Galway, Ireland.  

This was a whirlwind of a journey as the world still wasn’t free from the grasp of COVID.   

While navigating my new life abroad, everything at Linfield seemed “normal.”  

However, I never got to experience this “normal.” Mask mandates here were lifted, everyone began socializing and even Wildstock returned like it had never left. And while last year’s concert had its own set of bumps, it still felt like a missed opportunity for me – a memory my peers all had firsthand that I would never share.   

Now in my senior year, less than a month away from graduation and the best part is I finally feel “normal.”  

I have started checking off my list the last few core experiences I have been waiting for since I first walked onto campus. (Except for attending the world-famous UFO Festival, but I plan to make an appearance this year!)  

I finally had my Wildstock moment.  

In a sea of students with my closest friends at my side, we all jumped and swayed to the headliner, Chris Lane, and I realized it's not really about the event. What matters most is who you’re surrounded by. 

What I can express now that I couldn’t two years ago: the people I’m with make everything else seem less significant; simply being in their presence is enough for me. 

Thank you, Linfield, for introducing me to all of them.