Will Clancy: “Do the Scary Thing Even Though It Sucks” (Grad Sunday)

Rather than sitting alone in my dorm room on my first night of college, I decided instead to be adventurous: I was going to visit this place in Madison called the “Pres House,” who were hosting an open house night for new freshmen. It had started earlier that evening while I was having a farewell dinner with my parents, but that was ok—I could just show up late. It was an opportunity to make some new friends, I thought excitedly!

I arrived and was greeted by two friendly-looking Real Adults (unlike us college students), who introduced themselves to me as Nii Addo and Erica. I could hear music filtering through from another room where they said a jam session was happening. They handed me a sticky name tag and showed me a room where students were playing games and hanging out.

I surveyed the room, and my heart sank. People had done introductions two hours ago when the event started, I suddenly realized. I was late, and now they all already knew each other. Plus, they all looked older than me! Some of these people were sophomores, juniors, and seniors. I was completely new—they probably wanted to see their friends, not hang out with some freshman. I felt myself turn red and thought for a moment I might cry. How embarrassing! Coming here was a mistake, I realized. I left in a hurry, waving goodbye to Nii Addo and Erica just long enough to register the concern on their faces before I turned and ran back to my dorm. I resolved never to return to Pres House.

The next day, I returned to Pres House. I’m not sure why—yesterday had been terrible! But I was lonely, living in a single dorm and trying to meet people. So, I swallowed my anxiety and forced myself back unto the breach. I plastered a smile on my face as I walked in. Nii Addo and Erica handed me another sticky nametag. I sat down at a table and braced myself for the shame to begin, when I would have to leave again.

Instead, I enjoyed a relatively nice, 90-minute game of Apples to Apples with a group of people I’d never met before. I left two hours later, having been introduced to one or two other freshmen, and walked home in the warm summer night. The next week, I returned for Cookie Break, and then for Trivia Night with my future roommate. Within a few weeks, I was coming to Freshman Connection, and then (surprisingly) to church. And, well, most of you have been around to see the rest of it.

I can’t tell you how this exact chain of events came to unfold—I doubt there was a particular thing I did or didn’t do which resulted in one welcome week event turning into the four year-long saga that has been my time at Pres House. But what I can point to is the fact that I came back after that first night, even though I was scared, and tried again.

My time at Pres House has impressed upon me the importance of this technique, which I call “Do the Scary Thing Even Though It Sucks.” Like I said, it turned that first night into a long-term series of friendships. But it also did so much more. When I first thought about preaching here at Pres House, I really wanted to give it a shot—but I was terrified of the idea that my thoughts would be pasted all over the internet forever in the recording of that sermon. I hated the idea. But I did the scary thing, and it worked because I went on to preach seven more sermons over the next three years.

A lot of things in this world suck, and the scariness does not ever really go away. But I hope if I can impress anything, it’s that doing the scary thing is worth it. Do the scary thing, even though it sucks, because you never know what could happen as a result.

Will Clancy (he/him) graduates in May 2026 with a B.A. in Political Science with a certificate in Religious Studies.