For the past three years, Carina Fresa has written incredible content for Her Campus Suffolk and has been an amazing member of the Her Campus Suffolk team. But with graduation coming up and her final year at Suffolk coming to an end, we wanted to shine a spotlight on Carina for all of her hardwork and dedication she has given the Her Campus Suffolk team. With her incredible writing talents as well as her amazing singing capabilities she showcased in Suffolk’s Rampage Show Choir, we can’t wait to see her take on the world post-graduation. Congrats on graduating Carina and we’re gonna miss you so much next year!
1. Congrats on graduating! What are your post-college plans?
Thank you! Congrats to you too! My post-college plans are still a little up in the air. The pandemic has definitely made things a little harder. Right now, I plan on staying in MA and searching for a job!
2. What’s the scariest part about leaving college and entering the real world?
I think the scariest part about leaving college is similar to that of leaving high school. I’m scared that I’ll drift away from friends, there are no longer organized activities like clubs, and I’ll be taking new steps on my own. As far as managing the real world, Suffolk has completely set me up to learn how to find apartments and jobs, but it’s just a matter of actually getting the job now!
3. What was your most memorable moment here at Suffolk?
There are so many! I think I’ll have to go with one from my freshman year. I was in New York City with Rampage Show Choir because we were performing at and hosting FAME (a national high school show choir competition). The whole group was sitting in one hotel room just hanging out, laughing, and enjoying being in NYC together. There was something so amazing in such a simple moment. I felt that I really found my people, and that for the first time probably ever, that I truly belonged somewhere.
4. How have you been coping with finishing up college online? Did you have any opportunities to be on campus this year?
It has definitely been….a struggle. It was hard to find motivation to actually get work done, and I was faced with my most difficult classes in all my four years at Suffolk. Writing my honors thesis also posed significant challenges since I wasn’t able to use the library like I would have if there was more in person access, as well as meet with professors. I was able to be on campus with Rampage once a week though, and that was a significant highlight! I had missed dancing in a group, and while we couldn’t sing together in person, we still had some wonderful moments doing something we love. I also was able to participate in Dinner Theatre as the light board operator which was a totally live show (streamed to the audience each night, but nothing was pre-recorded!). Going to school every night for tech week was the most normal feeling I was able to have in a LONG time, and it is still something I am so grateful to have been a part of.
5. What was the best part about your Her Campus experience?
I joined Her Campus as a sophomore because someone in Rampage told me that she thought I would enjoy it. I honestly wasn’t sure, but I loved writing and at the time had no way to do it except on my own. So I tried it out. Very quickly I fell in love with writing again, and was able to have an outlet to do so. It was so rewarding seeing what I wrote being published, and getting to share my thoughts and ideas in a public fashion.
6. Lastly, what’s one thing you’ll miss most about Suffolk and/or Her Campus?
This is another hard one. I think I’ll miss most of my experience at Suffolk. Her Campus and being part of the Performing Arts Office with shows, Rampage and UDOT (union of designers, operators, and technicians) was truly a highlight of my college experience. The downside is I am not sure where to find communities like these in “the real world”, especially because I won’t be pursuing any of these hobbies professionally.