WINners Spotlight: Emily Labutta

(WIN stands for Wheaton In the Northwoods, a program that allows Wheaton students to take general education courses over two weeks at HoneyRock.) 

Hometown: Laytonsville, MD
Year: Junior
Major: English Writing/Philosophy 
WIN classes attended: Session 1 - New Testament Lit, Session 2 - Christian Thought 

What past experience have you had with HoneyRock?
I did Wheaton Passage before freshman year, and the cross country skiing class that comes up in the winter.

Favorite in-camp activity?
Kayaking, hands down!

What have been some of your biggest challenges in doing WIN?
Individualism is huge here. It's very easy to go and do your own thing and be okay with that, but it does get really lonely after awhile. So, fighting loneliness has been huge.

Most memorable moments so far: 
Well, the other day I decided to go for a walk in the woods and I was just, like, listening to the wind and the birds and feeling the tall grass around my ankles and it was really just an awesome experience with God. Also kayaking. Kayaking is amazing.

What has HoneyRock's phrase "A Place Apart" meant to you during your time here?
Peace. Being here means being free of, like, all the worry and stress of normalcy, you know? There's no drama here. It's just peaceful.

Pros and cons of taking classes in the Northwoods!
Okay, pros... It gets gen eds out of the way, for one thing. Tuition's cheaper. *laughs* And it's just awesome because everybody in your class is taking only that class and you can really focus on it cause you're not worried about five other classes, you know? It makes for really good discussions too, because it's like, back at school, if you have a really awesome class and you want to process it, you go back to talk to your roommate and have to spend like half an hour on an explanation before you get to the actual cool thing, you know? But here, people were just in that same class with you and you can start talking about it right away. The foundation's already there, you know?

Haha, no cons then?
(She had to think about it.) Well, it wasn't for me, but I guess the outdoors could be a distration. And there can be a really strong sense of it being temporary. Like, we all know we're leaving soon. 

Any advice for people considering WIN?
Come do it! *laughs* No, but seriously. It's good to think seriously about SLS (Summer Leadership School). They take a lot of the same classes, but they get to stay and be counselors for the rest of the summer. But hey, if that's not your thing or you just want the classes, WIN is definitely a good idea. One thing I'd say though is, like, you have to be really purposeful here about taking advantage of activities and stuff, you know? Like, it's really easy to spend four hours in the computer lab, but there's just so much other stuff to do here. Keep your priorities straight, you know? 

Any last words for us?
Come do WIN! It's awesome!