1,211 days. 173 weeks. three and a half years. That is the span of my days in college, and they are ending soon.
The days, months, and years don’t seem like accurate measures to sum up what is surely the best days of my life. These numbers will never be able to tell about the memories I have made and the people I have met. All I can do is try to put into words just how lucky I’ve been to have lived these years.
I have been so fortunate to fit what is typically the college experience of multiple individuals into my own singular experience. I was a student at a small university of 1,700 students. I was a college athlete competing at the Division Two level. I was an international student living abroad in Rome, Italy. I was one in 32,000 at a large state school. I experienced my school bringing home two national championships. Now I am weeks away from graduating.
I like to say that my college experience was well-rounded, that I experienced all aspects of college life, that I could not possibly ask for me. But here I am, asking for more, asking for more time.
I can’t take time away from my future to hold on to now. What I can do is reflect and think about how special these memories are and know that I will always hold them close to my heart. So, without further ado, here is my story of, and my ode to, my college experience.
Assumption University:
At eighteen, I had my heart set on becoming a college athlete; competing was what I loved best. The results of these competitions defined me. The desire to maintain what, at the time, was a cornerstone of my identity brought me to Assumption University, a small school of 1,700 undergraduates, in Worcester, Massachusetts. I stepped onto campus as a terrified, but eager, freshman political science major and member of the track and field team.
I jumped into my new life, my new friends, my new team. I was early to every class and every practice, and every lift. The fall semester was a breeze, but by the time the spring semester rolled around, I was constantly riddled by anxiety and a warped sense of self-worth that was brought out by toxic comparisons constantly made among teammates. Relationships with friends and teammates were tense, knowing I was constantly being compared to them. My love for competing turned into dread of meet days because I knew I would just disappoint. Looking back, I think this is where I started to realize that college athletics and Assumption University were not the place for me.
I loved Assumption, I thought I had found the place where I would make my best memories and my best friends, and it was that for a while. As the competitive and comparative mentality continued to take over my life, I realized I needed a change. A big draw of Assumption was not only the opportunity to compete in track, but also their exceptional study abroad program, and I knew that this was just the change that I needed.
Study Abroad in Rome:
On Aug. 25, 2023, I set off on a flight from Boston Logan International Airport to the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy. I moved into a home in the Aurelio Nord with eight other students, all strangers, from the Northeastern United States. These strangers quickly became not just friends, but a family of sorts. We took our classes together and spent our time outside of class together too. We had a lot of late nights walking home from the bar, followed by early mornings walking to class. Looking back, I don’t think that a person has an abroad experience without bonding with their roommates/classmates. We traveled across Europe, visiting London, Athens, Nice, Mykonos, and Amsterdam, as well as places all across Italy.
While I was abroad, I not only got the experience learn about a new place but also to learn about myself. I remember a pivotal moment when my older sister came to visit about a month into my time abroad. She said to me, “You thrive here, I’ve never seen you like this at home”, and she was right. I got accustomed to Rome very quickly, and I knew my way around walking, on buses, or on the metro trains. I picked up conversational Italian and became a local at the fruit stand and the cafe by my house.
I loved my life abroad, and in a way that it was the first time my life had felt truly mine. While living in Rome, I learned just how big my world could be, and it occurred to me that there was no way that I could go back to the small size of Assumption University because it would no longer be fulfilling to me, so I knew I had to transfer.
Figuring out where to transfer to:
I made the decision to transfer and applied to four schools, only really knowing I wanted a bigger size and more opportunities. I applied to the University of Connecticut. I don’t even remember why I chose to apply. What I do remember is getting my acceptance email while in my art history class, sitting in a church that was built in 1608, not because UConn was of any significance to me, but because I thought it was funny to get that email in that setting.
When I got home to the United States, I chose to tour UConn first, where my aunt and uncle gave me an unofficial tour, at the end of which we got Dairy Bar ice cream. I ordered Husky Tracks, and they accidentally made my order twice. I took this as meant to be, bought a UConn sweatshirt, and made my deposit.
University of Connecticut:
I arrived at UConn in January of 2024, and I knew absolutely no one. It was a fresh start, which is actually a nice way to put it, because it was so terrifying. UConn was an adjustment, to say the least. I learned to be comfortable being alone because I spent a lot of time alone, more than I had in my entire life. I found safe spaces in the Wilbur Cross building and found refuge in the campus greenhouses. I met people who showed me I could build a life at UConn and also taught me that I could love college basketball.
Very slowly, I built a life that I loved in a place I never dreamed I would have any special feelings about. I found a best friend in a girl that I met during orientation. I found my best friends in random roommates during my second semester at UConn. I made more friends through these people and on my own, and for the first time, I finally felt like I had friends who cared that I was around and listened to what I was saying.
Many college basketball fans in my life have told me that I picked the perfect time to come to UConn, and I couldn’t agree more. I came in on the backend of two unstoppable seasons by the men’s basketball team and experienced the long-awaited Paige Bueckers National Championship. However, more than just good basketball, I came to UConn at the same time as my very favorite people, which made it my favorite place.
In my last semester, my favorite memories have been Tuesday nights with my roomies and friends settling in for Dancing with the Stars, Thursday nights at Huskies downtown, and lazy mornings when all the roomies are around and ready to talk. These are the things that I am not ready to let go of in less than two weeks.
Reflection:
Looking back, I would not change a thing about my college experience. I am often asked if I wish I had come to UConn right out of high school. While it would have been great to have more time here, the path I took is what brought me to where I am now. The specific circumstances of going to Assumption, abroad, and deciding to transfer here are all vital steps in bringing me to sitting in my apartment with my roommates and my friends writing this. So I would not change a thing about my journey because it brought me to this exact moment with these exact people.
If you had talked to me in September of 2022, I would have told you that Assumption was where I was meant to be. If you had talked to me in October of 2023, I would have said I never wanted to go back to the United States. If you had talked to me in January of 2024, I would have told you that UConn was just going to be the institution on my diploma. If you talked to me today, I would tell you that UConn is so much more than just the name on my diploma; it is the sum of all my experiences at Assumption and while abroad. It is the lonely days I spent in the campus greenhouses, it is the nights spent in Gampel Pavilion, it is the nights spent on my couch with my friends and roommates.
Really, what I am saying is that UConn, and my experience here, are some of the most important things in my life, and while I am graduating and moving on from this place, it is something that will never truly leave me.
1,211 days later, I am sitting at my desk on my last Monday of college, thinking back on every Monday and all the other days that brought me here, and I am so infinitely thankful.