Reporting from Baton Rouge, La., here’s WAFB-TV’s Liz Koh on the scene at the Taft-Van Doren Residence Halls.
Or, to be more specific, “the infamous and air condition-less Taft-Van Doren,” the 2014 College of Media grad says of her freshman dorm. “I still remember laughing the nights away with my dorm mates, who would become some of my best friends, even after college.”
It’s one of “many buildings and places on campus that make me nostalgic about my days at UIUC,” Koh says.
“There’s also a spot right behind Foellinger Auditorium where these beautiful cherry blossom trees would bloom in the spring. At least, I think they are cherry blossom trees.
"I remember sitting on the stone bench below the tree enjoying a gorgeous day. There was just something so peaceful about that little spot, even during the chaos of students shuffling to their next class.
“There are a number of people who have shaped my path to where I am now. John Paul, Ken Erdey, Lynn Holley — all have been wonderful mentors and I couldn’t be more grateful to them.
“There’s another person who I fondly remember and spent a lot of time with — Safe Rides bus driver Lin Jayne. She would drive me to and from my late-night 3 to 6 a.m. DJ shifts at WPGU. She is kind, has grit and has stories for days. We would talk about life and even hung out outside of the Safe Rides bus.”
