Before you say anything, I know what you’re thinking – corny name for an article, right? You’re not wrong, it’s just the best thing I could come up with as I was writing this. Anyhow, I’m sure we’ve all heard this before, and chances are it’s a joke some of our moms made half-teared up during our freshman year move-in, which seems like it was ages ago.
While this is a cliché, it holds a lot of truth, especially for many of us here at Sacred Heart. We came here because we all felt something when we stepped foot on this campus for the first time. Whether you’re a senior begrudgingly preparing yourself for commencement, or a freshman wondering how you’re supposed to register for classes for the first time, we all remember that feeling.
Home is something that doesn’t have a manual to it – it’s just something you make your own wherever you go. And as I approach what appears to be my last semester here at Sacred Heart University, that’s what SHU has been for me. Home is a community, it’s a feeling, and most of all, it’s a place like no other. No matter where you come from – whether it’s Connecticut or New York, Massachusetts or New Jersey, Rhode Island or anywhere else – we all blended identities the second we became Pioneers.
It’s a sense of community like I’ve never experienced before, and truth be told, it’s more than I expected when I made the decision to enroll at what then just seemed like a small, private university in Fairfield County. I’ve made bonds here with people I will cherish forever, made memories I will never forget, and learned from some world-class mentors.
If you told me that I would have been writing for the university newspaper when I first came to Sacred Heart, I would’ve said there’s no way and I don’t think that’s something I could even do. Fast forward a few semesters, and here I am, addressing my fellow classmates in my first-ever editorial. SHU has truly challenged my abilities and pushed me to reach heights I originally didn’t think were attainable. That’s what a true home is – a place where you feel comfortable being yourself and testing boundaries you didn’t think were possible. For that, I thank every single one of you I’ve come across on this journey, and I hope that you have found similar success in any area of your personal or academic journey.
If you’ve made it this far, I want to thank you for reading this, and I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to read something in a paper that freshman-me would have walked right past.
Keeping an open heart and an open mind is some of the best advice I got when I arrived on this campus, and when you do that and follow your passions and intuitions, home really is where the (sacred) heart is. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself).
No matter where you are on your Sacred Heart journey, I wish you continued success, happiness, health, and safety – and I want to say, if there’s one thing you took away from this cheesy article, I hope it’s this: follow your heart and make your home authentically yours.
