After my old school, coming to St. Bonaventure feels like a dream come true. I always thought I would go here; my grandfather, mother, sisters, and cousins all went here. When I went to a different school first, I felt like I was betraying that tradition. Now, that’s not why I ended up going here, but I’m glad life led me to where I am.
I feel like I did well this year, this semester especially. Being a transfer student on top of being a townie made me feel out of place. I was so nervous to be in a new space, learning a completely different subject than before. And while I still might not be able to explain any economic principles, at least I passed! I almost took up an accounting minor, and then realized I hate doing T-accounts. I’m really enjoying marketing, and I’m excited for the upper-level classes of it. I’m even taking piano lessons in the fall! I also cannot express how much joy I get from watching the campus squirrels. There’s so much to learn and do here, and now that I’m more comfortable, I want to take advantage of as many opportunities as I can.
I wasn’t super involved in any clubs my first semester, and I regret that. I would have liked to have started building relationships much earlier than I did. Everyone here is so nice, but I didn’t really start getting to know anyone until this semester. Next semester, I want to join more clubs and get to know more people. I want to make friends that I’ll be able to call 40 years from now just to chat, and I know that’s possible here; I just need to put myself out there. I’ll obviously be staying in Her Campus, I can’t wait to get to know all of the lovely ladies in the club. And hearing a lot of their stories convinced me to try the Dance Team. I don’t think I’ll be good at it, but I think I’ll have fun, and that’s enough for me. Who knows, maybe I’m secretly great at jazz and just don’t know it yet.
Even though I didn’t lead the most exciting life this year, there were still a few highlights. First, my writing was so good that I got accused of plagiarism by Professor Fodor (thank you, glad you’re retiring!). Then, I spent my first semester working on CANVAS for a Cure, a fundraiser for a childhood cancer foundation. It was a great experience, and I got to work with a lot of great people. Weirdly enough, another highlight for me is when I fell on the ice in front of Plassmann. For some reason, that just sticks out. And I came full circle with a Muppets moment. A teacher called me Muppet because he couldn’t remember my name at first, and after last week’s article, I now know a lot of the Her Campus ladies also love the Muppets. I can’t wait to talk to them more!
Bonaventure is a community, and I’m slowly finding my place in it. I don’t want to be someone who just goes to class and goes home anymore. I’ve done that for three years now, and it’s so boring. I want to make connections, see friends on the weekends, and get involved in everything I can. Having people to study with, or eat lunch together, or go to the gym with would be great. It was a good year, but it was lonely. I fully intend to change that.