Member Spotlight: Eli Soljourn
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Author: Stephen Lightheart, December 2012
Is there anyone who hasn’t interacted with Eli Soljourn on some level? He’s everywhere! Like a true Gaidin of Dai M'Hael, he’s spamming the boards on a regular basis. On top of that, he’s one of the most active chatters in #wheel, where he seems to be befriending as many people as he possibly can.
- From Eternal Soldier to Gaidin
In the eight years since he joined the Tower on a whim, lured in by his longtime friend Riley and his love of the first ten books that were out at the time, Eli has come a long way. “The Tower is my home on the internet. The people here are my family as much as my flesh and blood siblings and parents. I also found the girl of my dreams here, and I cannot imagine ever leaving the site or the site not being a part of my life in some way.”
Soon after joining the Tower, Eli became a Soldier... and stayed a Soldier. It took him over four years to find his home at DM, where he is the Company Commander now. He was even called the Eternal Soldier at one point. Why did it take so long?
“When I became a Soldier, there was no guesting process. You simply chose a company, and I chose VC. I wasn't very active there, as I never felt like I belonged, although I couldn't admit that for a long time. I was going through a rough time at one point and was ready to leave the site. A good friend, Aidan Sedai of the Whites, talked me into staying. By this time, guesting had been introduced. She told me if I guested with the other companies and still didn't feel like I belonged, she wouldn't try to convince me to stay any longer. So I un-Aspired from VC (though not with any bad feelings), and I chose to guest with SDS and DM. DM immediately made me feel welcomed. They were genuinely glad to see me there, and interacted with me. It took me all of a week to realize that I belonged there and so I left SDS and Aspired. I believe it was about 6 months after that when I was raised to Gaidin.”
- The other Eli
Eli Soljourn, former Eternal Soldier, Company Commander of Dai M'hael. But who is Eli? The man behind the nick is Abram Bryson. He’s an active presence at official gatherings like Anni, and even currently co-organizing next year’s Fall Ball. In the flesh, he tends to stick out in a crowd. “Maybe it's the wheelchair? Unfortunately, due to my physical disability, I am unemployed. I also am not currently attending school but would like to go back and major in Journalism.”
He is also a part of a very tight real life Tower community in Utah. In fact, he is one of two people Towerwide to hold the gold Local Events merit badge for hosting at least ten local events. He sees many of his offline Tower friends on a regular basis, and they try to have get togethers with everyone in the area at least once a month, more if they have out-of-town guests visiting them.
“Have they changed my Tower experience? Of course. I'm sure if you asked anyone, they'd say it changes things to meet other members in person. You get to see another side of them that just can't be conveyed in chat or posts. I'm very happy that the local community is active both with each other and on the site.”
- People’s person
Whether it is offline or online, Eli is someone who is always friendly to others and always tries to make new friends. As such, it should come as no surprise that when I asked him what he likes most about Tar Valon, Eli answered that he loves the people that make the site. “It's nice to have a place to go where you know the others there won't look down at you or make fun of you for being a nerd as they are the same way. I enjoy talking to people about these things I enjoy so much and not have to explain it all to them before they even understand what I'm saying.”
Eli Soljourn is a social guy who enjoys interacting with the people in DM—”I like interacting with the guys in the company, and one of my favorite things is being able to raise our Aspirants”—and, really, anywhere else in the Tower.
More than anything, Eli’s friendliness defines who he is and sets him apart from others.
