When Bailey Croft '26 decided to put a positive light on her 8 a.m. classes, her friends never thought she'd take it literally. But the ambitious English major found a way to morph sleepy time slouching into a zen-filled, vibrant experience.
Croft is the founder of The Rise, a sunrise-watching group that started last September. Participants challenge themselves to get up every Friday to watch the sunrise. Some days, it's easy … and other days, they lean into a Starbucks Tripleshot caffeine craving.
"The spring semester before I started The Rise, I had 8 a.m. classes every week," noted the Cranford, New Jersey, resident. "I struggled with waking up and feeling ready to start my day.
"I had the idea of gathering a few friends together every week to watch the sunrise together. After further thought, I decided to start a group at BW as an unofficial club. We met and watched the sunrise every week in fall of 2023 and continued until the end of January since member retention dropped as the weather got colder," explained Croft.
"Every morning, we'd meet at one location, head to Berea's Starbucks for a morning coffee or breakfast and then go to the designated location – Coe Lake, the steps of the Union, the Conservatory (inside and outside on the steps) and other locations on and near campus," remarked Croft. "Every time we meet, we'd listen to a member-curated playlist as we watched the sun rise.
"It was extremely fulfilling to see my idea come to life and to hear from other members how grateful they were to start their day this way. I think this teaches you to be in the moment and appreciate things we may overlook every day, like a beautiful sunrise. I'm so happy I started this group because I really fell in love with waking up early and starting my day in a positive light," said Croft.
