So as the school year comes to a close, I think it’s important that everyone gets to know the faces behind these amazing articles. These girls have been working their butts off all year to give you amazing content, so let’s introduce you to one of our lovely ladies: Marine!
HC: Can you introduce yourself a bit?
MB: My name is Marine Bruno. I’m a freshman at Oxford and a writer, as well as the events coordinator, for HC! I was born in France, but my family and I moved to Florida when I was 11. I’m an only child, I have a dog and a hamster (at home, sadly), and I like to stay busy. On campus, I’m on the executive boards for Animals’ Rights Club, Photo club, environmental club, and HC. I’m also on the varsity golf team and am in Omega Delta! Outside of Ox, I’m an intern at the Federal Defenders Program Capital Habeas Unit (meaning I only work with paralegals and lawyers on death penalty cases; I bookmark trial transcipts and evidence, as well as convert page numbers into indexes and Bates numbers), an intern with Green Global Travel (an online magazine about eco-friendly travels; I’m in charge of their pinterest account), and I’m an army girlfriend on the side!
HC: How did you find yourself coming to Oxford College?
MB: I was actually pre-med when I was applying to college, so I automatically thought about Emory since they had been charged with caring for the Ebola patients and are known for their rigorous medical program. My mom actually forced me to visit Oxford, and right before my visit, the golf coach, Schiff, emailed me asking if he could meet with me during my visit. I never played in high school, I just played on weekends with a coach, so I was super surprised to get an email from him. I actually fell in love with the campus from the moment I parked here, so my decision was pretty easy. I would automatically be on the golf team, I’d have more chances of getting a leadership role on campus, and I loved the small campus. I ended up applying ED to Oxford and Regular Decision to Main.
HC: How smooth was the transition between high school and Oxford?
MB: I came from a very small high school where everyone knew everyone (86 in my graduating class, most of whom had been there since kindergarten), so it was hard to be in a place where I knew absolutely no one. But because Oxford is relatively small for a college, it was super easy to adjust. I definitely would’ve had a harder time at a bigger school (even at main). I just got to know people through my roommate, the golf team, all the programs Ox had, and by applying to join clubs.
HC: So you’re in Omega Delta, one of the social clubs on campus. What are your thoughts about being in the social club? Does it resemble what you think sorority life on campus would be like?
MB: I met my best friends (and my current roommate) through OD, so I’d have to say that I’m really glad I join. There’s drama like there always is when it comes to clubs and whatnot, but our line is a bunch of really chill, amazing girls and I couldn’t ask for better “sisters.” Although we’ve had events where we all get together this year, we’re going to try to be a lot more active next year. We have a very small line so it was easy for all of us to get close. I’d say that, out of all the social club at Oxford, OD is the one that resembles a sorority the most. It’s all girls and we do cute things together, like brunch! Although we don’t get to live together (but I wish we did), OD is basically a sorority. I’ll hopefully rush at main next spring.
HC: You write frequently about having a long-distance relationship with your boyfriend. Do you find that being in college has made that more difficult?
MB: I actually was dating someone during my senior year of hs who ended up going to GT, and we stayed together through the fall semester. It was definitely hard for us to be apart because we had gone to the same high school for four years, so communication slowly went down and I ended things between us because I just wasn’t in love with him and I wasn’t happy with who I was (I just stopped working out and was always annoyed at him). After some time, I started talking to this guy who was stationed at fort Benning. I knew he was deploying to Afghanistan soon so I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but he actually asked me to wait for him and to be his girlfriend and he kissed me through the car window right before he left to get on the plane and it was really cute! I think that, although college had made things harder with my previous relationship, it’s made things easier for me now because I stay busy and I’m thinking about other things instead of thinking about Phillip coming home.
HC: What’s one thing that you would suggest to people who are worried about coming to Oxford?
MB: I’d say that if you come here, it’s that you were meant to be here and that you’ll love it! When I talk to people who went to Oxford and are now at main, most of them say that they miss it (even though they like the freedom of the bigger campus, they miss knowing everyone). Oxford is a great campus with even greater students and professors, so there’s no need to worry