As a student ambassador, I give up to three tours per shift. On my last tour, I watched a prospective student fall in love with St. Bonaventure University as we strolled around the campus. Seeing his eyes light up at the architecture, asking me what it’s like to go to Bonaventure specifically and other things made me realize why I fell in love with the school in the first place.
I originally didn’t want to attend Bonaventure, let alone apply. I was deadset on another school before I was told I should give Bonaventure a chance. I was very hesitant, but I still gave it a shot.
I attended their Fall Open House, and the rest was history.
If you were to ask me about Bonaventure, I would not stop talking about how much I love it. It’s a little cliché for our school, but nobody is lying when they talk about Bonaventure and the love they hold for it. I love to talk about how comforting Bonaventure is. I can’t quite pin what’s so comforting about a school that’s over an hour away from home, but it just is.
Bonaventure is essentially my home away from home. It has that comforting atmosphere to it that has never made me truly homesick. The people I have met and what’s offered here has made me feel like Bonaventure is right where I belong.
The first person I met at Bonaventure is now one of my best friends, Sophia. Sophia and I had freshman orientation together, but we didn’t really talk much after that. However, every time we saw each other around campus or other places, we’d exchange a hello to each other. Even though a simple “hello” is such a small thing, it gave me the comfort of a kind face in a place that was brand new to me.
There’s also the comfort within the classroom as well. I love the professor-student relationships here. My advisor is one of the only people on this campus that makes me feel academically worthy. She’s always giving me hope that I can do this, because I do struggle with schoolwork sometimes.
She’s also a big supporter outside of the academic setting. I’ve spotted her in the audience of my dance shows, choir concerts and she has multiple of my newspaper articles taped up in her office.
Bonaventure is essentially my comfort place. I know it’s not the same for everyone, but I am forever grateful for the experiences I’ve had and what’s yet to come.