Ten Seconds of Courage

What’s it like being a commuter at Fox? In this article, a George Fox student reflects on the struggles and blessings of living off-campus – and shares her favorite tip on being known.

The first time I ate at Canyon Commons, I sat at a table for six. As my fork poked at my honey-mustard-drenched salad, the other chairs remained empty.

I buried my head in a textbook, but the loud and laughing tables around me drew me away from business-related jargon and into random snippets of strangers’ lives. I’m a fast eater, but that 15 minutes felt like the longest, loneliest lunch period of my life.

The Dilemma

Being a commuter can be challenging. While I take 30 minutes to commute to campus, my classmates brag about having just rolled out of bed. I can’t drag a roommate to social events. Choosing when to head home feels like a balancing act, according to senior Ainsley Roll, a student leader in the commuter life office.

“I feel like I have to prioritize certain things,” says Roll, who commutes to campus from Hillsboro. “It feels like you have two separate lives, and it’s hard because you can’t combine them.”

And call me crazy, but being a commuter seems to have an enriching effect on people’s minds. When asked, many commuters have interesting pastimes to help time fly in the car, on the bike, or what have you.

“It’s nice, because it gives me some time to listen to audiobooks,” says Will Milburn, one of my commuting classmates. Driving gives Milburn some much-needed time to rest and relax. “It’s helped me a lot, and it’s made me a better storyteller!” he laughs.

My drives have become a twice-daily sacred space for reflection, prayer and hearing from God. Every day, I listen to a sermon, chat with God aloud or just sit in silence – and the best part is, I never miss a day. That rhythm has helped me grow as a Christ-following student. As a borderline introvert, it’s also nice to have that alone time after engaging with others all day.

More than that, commuting makes me more intentional about how I spend my time at Fox. It’s far easier to come as a freshman and attend everything when you live on campus. But rather than viewing the distance as an obstacle, I view it as a way to lean into my priorities and build discipline.

Not surprisingly, some of the most disciplined people I know are my commuter friends. Many of them get ready for the day about two hours before their first classes to take care of household chores, spend quality time with their families or read God’s Word. Being around others with that discipline is not only encouraging – it’s inspiring. Both of my parents drove to school during their college years (I suppose I’m a “second-generation commuter”), and their ability to balance home, school and work shows me that I can do the same.

But greater than any inspiration is the privilege of staying close to everything dear to me. I get the privilege of waking up to my pug sniffing my face, eating my grandma’s homemade kimchi for dinner, and bear-hugging (or “Bruin-hugging”) my parents every day. I wouldn’t give that up for the world.

Community & Connection

As I hope you see now, being a commuter at Fox can be a huge blessing. Commuters have exclusive access to nap on the FoxHole’s cozy couches, lockers to stow away our lunches, the flexibility to come home between classes – the list goes on.

Commuters also have their own monthly “pop-up” events, where commuter life staff hand out sweet treats like donuts or hot cocoa by the Murdock Library. It’s a special time for commuters to connect with each other and build upon commonalities.

During Serve Day 2025, commuters teamed up at the veteran-owned Wood Ministry of Newberg. We were sweating and sunburnt from chopping wood, splitting logs and raking bark chips; but as I was surrounded by others who valued financial savviness and staying near family as much as I did, I felt like I’d found my people.

Truthfully, there isn’t a plethora of commuter-specific events – but as Roll sees it, that’s intentional. “All the events are open to everybody,” she says. It leaves the doors open for all kinds of students to network and find community.

Still, events and perks can only go so far. What really makes the difference for commuters is how willing we are to put ourselves out there.

It Takes Ten

Despite what residents may say, being a commuter is also a huge advantage because it teaches you to be on the giving end of the Be Known promise.

“Ten seconds of courage” has become my anthem; it’s a phrase that professor Kelly Schmidt bestowed upon me during Welcome Weekend. Commuter or not, all of us must reach out if we want to be truly known.

In an increasingly lonely generation, it just feels easier to head home rather than stick around for the community. “When I started commuting, it was really difficult because I would just go to school and come home, go to school and come home,” Roll recalls. “Then I realized you have to kind of be aggressive with it!”

Being a commuter teaches you to be proactive about being yourself. “I realized I need to accept who I am,” Roll says. “If I’m not giving out my real personality, nobody’ll want to be friends with that! I’ve started being friends with people in more proactive ways.”

Sure enough, it only took 10 seconds to find my first friend at Fox. Ten seconds became 20, became hundreds, became thousands. We discovered we were both commuters, artists and comedians at heart. Although we have to be intentional about meeting together, we’re infinitely grateful to stay at home, save some money and be with family. “I’ve met my match!” she jokes, and it all started with 10 seconds of courage.

There’s Always Room

While it’s true that I have limited time on Earth to spend with my family, I realize that “prioritizing home life” has often become my excuse for avoiding the difficult yet rewarding task of making friends.

For commuters and residents alike, I have a piece of advice: Do what you can to know others. Go to events. Chat with the next person in line at the Bon. Pop in (or schedule appointments) during your professors’ office hours. Nobody would be known without people to initiate the conversation.

Can campus involvement be challenging for commuters? Certainly. Managing a work-home-school balance is a daily struggle. But I’ve realized it was never being a commuter that held me back from relationships – it was me. I didn’t have to eat a soggy salad alone just because I drive to school every day.

At Fox, nobody cares whether you commute or not. If you put in your 10 seconds, people will welcome you to the table.