Coming into college in the fall of 2020, I did not know what to expect. The COVID-19 pandemic was still at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and no one really knew what “normal” was anymore.
I remember the drive up to Sacred Heart’s campus on move-in day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and we didn’t hit a single ounce of traffic (I was kind of hoping we would to ease my nerves a bit).
As I was moving into Toussaint Hall, I met all my suitemates for the first time and immediately knew we would get along. I’ll never forget how we went to 63’s for lunch right after we moved in and said goodbye to our families. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, this is really it. What now?”
As someone who always is planning out their schedule for next week before the current week even starts, I sometimes forget to live in the moment. If I could go back to move in day and speak to my freshman year self, I would tell myself to R-E-L-A-X.
Yes, college can be a scary place. You are away from home for the first time, you are meeting tons of new people, and chances are, even with a major declared, you still might not know what you want to do with your life yet. While all that can be stressful, it is also completely normal, and in the end, it is all going to work out.
That same first night where I was planning out my entire four years, I also made a promise to myself before I went to sleep. I vouched to never say no to trying new things, get involved in everything I possibly can, and make the memories of a lifetime.
Four years later and about 10 days until graduation, I can look back on my four years at Sacred Heart and firmly say I achieved everything I set out to accomplish.
From meeting lifelong friends who I now consider part of my family, being the President of my fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, the Co-Sports editor for The Spectrum, a crew member on The Pulse, a Student Ambassador, and studying abroad in Dingle, Ireland, I can put my head on my pillow at night with not a single regret.
My advice to incoming freshmen would be to have fun. Not everything is so serious. You only have four years, that might seem like a lot of time, but it goes by in the blink of an eye. Make memories, step outside of your comfort zone, and live life with no regrets.
Thank you for everything Sacred Heart, we have gone from total strangers to me calling you my forever home. The memories I have made here will last a lifetime. Extremely grateful and proud to be a Pioneer.
