This year, for the first time ever in Walsh history, UPB put on a sophomore retreat. I took advantage of this opportunity and decided to go on it. We travelled an hour and a half to Pleasant Hill Outdoor Center. It was a very nice facility.

There were 14 of us retreatants. We all knew at least of each other, but this weekend was a great experience to really get to know each other better.

THE GROUP!

This retreat was structured around leadership, leadership skills, and team building. We were split into small groups to work on a couple of the activities but since the group was so small we were able to do a lot of it as one big group. It made us able to bond as a group instead of just our smaller groups. Here is my small group; we were the transformers:

The transfomers

My favorite part of the whole retreat was the high ropes course on the last day. We had to work as a team to keep everyone safe while up in the course, as well as cheer everyone on. It was a great feeling when it was over because everyone at least climbed up to the platform, even if they were scared out of their minds.

Up in the course

The entire weekend was focused around the group encouraging the group on. We grew to trust each other and the encouragement of others was a great tool in accomplishing everything we did throughout the weekend.

The retreat was a great experience and I am so glad that I went on it. We were the first graduating class of for SHAPE!! GO US!

First graduating class of SHAPE!