Creative writing is often remembered for its long standing traditions, from the bay swim to writing poetry in the botanical garden, to an all department camping trip on the ocean. During the 2023 edition of this camping trip, a group of us students ran into the frigid waters of the pacific ocean, submerging ourselves beneath the navy water, and splashing each other with slaps along the choppy surface. For a second I stood back from the glorious chaos and observed the family I had suddenly found before me, some of which were freshmen whom I had only met a month and a half ago, and I had a moment of ethereal ease. The only other place in which I had found that feeling was at my Jewish summer camp where we have similar long standing traditions that manage to effortlessly bring a diverse collection of differing perspectives and outlooks together, so, I decided to bring one of the things that makes that camp so special to CW. It’s loosely based on a Jewish ritual called a Mikveh, (I made sure everyone participating was comfortable) in which a group of people all hold hands and submerge themselves three times into the water. The first time we dunked, we thought of something we wanted to let go of, to release to the water. The second time we dunked, we thought of something we wanted to take from the water. The final time we dunked, we thought of something we wanted to give to the water. When I arose from the water after my final dunk, I felt as though I saw the world in a completely different light. I know that sounds extreme, but I realized, in that moment, that the people screaming with exhilaration beside me were the people I had been looking for. I felt as though I had given a piece of my identity to the creative writing community, and they had responded by taking it in with full fascination and participation.