Do you remember the first time you and your parents came to St. Mike’s? The funny feeling of searching for a place to go to college was both nerve wracking and exciting. What about that next time you were at St. Mike’s? The time when only your parents went back to your hometown. The time when you tried so hard to avoid eye contact with the group of Energizer Bunny descendants that were jumping around in matching shirts and sweatbands outside your car’s left window as you pulled into campus. Their signs read, “Welcome home!” and home it was.
Right after move in, you were thrown into a weekend full of yelling upperclassmen and gawky ice breakers. But behind all of the awkward encounters, you managed to have the best four days making new friends, exploring new places, and making the first of many memories. For this, we all have the beloved Orientation Board and Coordinators to thank. If you haven’t had the chance to meet them, here is your chance to get to know the masterminds behind this year’s orientation!
Richie Bernache (left)
Position at St. Mike’s: Asst. Director
Years at St. Mike’s: 6! (4 as a student, 2 as staff)
Hometown: Rockland, Massachusetts
Weird Brag: He has attended the Pokemon National Championships!
Kerri Leach (right)
Position at St. Mike’s: Director of Student of Student Activities/Resident Director Activities/Asst. Dean of Students
Years at St. Mike’s: 10!
Hometown: Swanton, VT
Fun Fact: She would like to be a contestant on the History Channel Show “Alone”
Sydney Rybicki
Year of Graduation: 2018
Hometown: Byfield, MA
Major/Minor: French/Spanish Double Major
Fun Fact: She is obsessed with the show “Friends!”
Sydney and orientation partner, Colin Gaunt
Paige Goudreau
Year of Graduation: 2018
Hometown: Huntington, VT
Major/Minor: Business Administration Major, Environmental Studies Minor
Weird Brag: Cheez-It, the official company, once tweeted at her!
Paige and orientation partner, Dylan Bernache
Nicole Kordana
Year of Graduation: 2018
Hometown: Bernardston, MA
Major/Minor: Biology major, Chemistry and
Philosophy minors
Weird Brag: She has a weird ability to find four leaf clovers. This summer she found close to 200!
Nicole and orientation partner, Owen Marks
Zach Kosakowski
Year of Graduation: 2018
Hometown: East Lyme, CT
Major/Minor: Accounting major, Business and
Environmental Studies minors
Fun Fact: He once had a hermit crab named surfer!
Zach and orientation partner, Shauna Crowley
Marilyn McCall
Year of Graduation: 2019
Hometown: Woburn, MA
Major/Minor: Pre-Dental Biology major, Chemistry minor
Weird Brag: She was Class Clown in high School!
Marilyn and orientation partner, Pat Thornton
Josh Abernethy
Year of Graduation: 2019
Hometown: South Windsor, CT
Major/Minor: Psychology
Weird Brag: Most people get normal drinks at a gas station, but he’ll usually grab a half gallon of milk and drink it all at once!
Josh and orientation partner, Jackie Proctor
How did you decide to come to St. Mike’s?
“My older sisters best friend from home was a senior when I was a first year, and during the whole looking for colleges process she made sure that I went up to visit and tour St. Mike’s. I fell in love with it the second I got there and it was my first choice the whole time.” —Josh
“My dad went to school here and graduated in the 80s so I’ve always wanted to go here. I was looking up this school when I was in the eighth grade.” —Sydney
“When I first toured Saint Michael’s I thought it was too good to be true, but after taking the time to visit others schools and come back, I really fell in love with Saint Mike’s at second sight. The area is so beautiful and this college is so unique. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.” —Nicole
“My grandfather, father, and older sister attended Saint Michael’s, so Saint Mike’s was my last choice when I was applying. However, the first time I visited I immediately knew it was where I wanted to be.” —Richie
What do you love most about orientation?
“As generic as it sounds…the sense of community. I am in love with every part of Orientation but when I’m there with the first years and other O-leaders I feel like there’s no place I’d rather be. It’s the sense of belonging that’s fostered at Orientation that I hope stays with everyone throughout the years.” —Paige
“My favorite part about Orientation is meeting and getting to know so many people that I might not have met otherwise (new students and O-Leaders alike).” —Marilyn
“I love the excitement and care our Leaders put into making new students and families feel welcome and part of the SMC Community!” —Kerri
If you could put on one SUPER COOL event during orientation, with no restrictions, what would it be?
“Skydiving or bungee jumping. No doubt.” —Josh
“Silent disco in the 3’s (aka everyone has headphones on listening to the same music but it just looks ridiculous and fun).” —Zach
“I would fly the first year class to a tropical resort where they could spend time building relationships with each other before diving into all the other important things orientation does to help them transition to life as a SMC Student.” —Kerri
What is the best memory from your first year at St. Mike’s?
“There are too many to count!! I honestly feel like I can’t narrow it down to one, but something that stands out in particular was first-year apple picking. It was pouring rain and all of us got soaked and cold. The whole bus ride we played games and when we got back to campus, everyone took hot showers, heated up coffee and tea and just watched movies. It was just a great memory to be together and bond in that way.” —Paige
“My best memory from my first year of SMC was when there was a Super (Blood) Moon and (what seemed like) the whole population of SMC went to the View to “watch” the moon. At 11:59 P.M. when the moon was supposed to peak, the entire field erupted in applause. It was so hilarious and spoke volumes to the fun-loving community here.” —Marilyn
“My first year at Saint Michael’s College, my boyfriend, who I met at the Orientation Dance, would host movie nights in Ryan Hall and we would cram 20-25 people in a little dorm room and watch movies. Everyone would bring communal snacks and it was an absolute blast!”—Nicole
What is one piece of advice you would give first year students?
“Embrace discomfort, we cannot grow when we are totally comfortable. Try new things and face that feeling of nerves head on.” —Richie
“Get off campus as much as possible and go explore Vermont, there is so much I haven’t done still.”—Zach
“Give it time. You may think everyone else has it figured out, but trust me, they don’t. Everyone is going through the same transition and facing the same struggles, you’ll find your groove.” —Sydney
“Stay true to yourself and don’t be afraid to do what is right for you even if it seems like it’s not what everyone else is doing. Always remember that this is your college experience and no one else’s.” —Marilyn
Annnddd the question we’ve all been waiting for… Is a hot dog a sandwich?
It was a close race, but after tallying up the votes (5 to 3), your Orientation Board and Coordinators believe that a hot dog is in fact a sandwich!!! Feel free to argue with any of them when you see them around campus!!!