Four with a ’Dore – Jordan Trost
In our Four With a ’Dore series, we’re getting to know Vanderbilt students four questions at a time. In today’s installment, meet Jordan Trost from the Class of 2024, an Anna Maria, FL, native with a major in HOD and a minor in business.
Q: Where did you find your sense of belonging on campus?
A: Transfer orientation was crucial to my sense of belonging here. I met a lot of my friends in those first few weeks of school because we went through all of those introductory experiences together and at the same time. I also found my sense of belonging through my HOD community. The students I’ve met in that major are all so social and personable that it just feels natural to get along with them.
Q: How has campus shaped your Vanderbilt experience?
A: I’ve gotten way more in touch with the natural world since living on campus. The fact that it’s an arboretum really speaks to me. Coming from Florida, we don’t really have seasons, so when I came here I became really in tune with the ways the environment around me can look so different. It’s ironic because we’re in the middle of a big city, but it feels like we’re in a forest.
Q: Where is your favorite study spot on campus?
A: The EBI library. It feels like Hogwarts in there, and I can get so much done because it’s totally silent.
Q: How have you embraced collaboration as a Vanderbilt student?
A: I think that collaboration is everywhere here, primarily because everybody lives on campus. I see so many people every day and it feels like our own little metropolis. It makes it so that we’re collaborating constantly and even incidentally in our day-to-day interactions. Everyone I’ve met here is extremely exceptional, and I feel like that has really brought me up in a way that I never saw myself before. Seeing everyone tapping into their potential and having such passion has really inspired me. My advice is to talk to as many people as you can, because almost every conversation I’ve had here has changed or impacted me in some way.