Alumni Spotlight: From Senior to Freshmen

by Maria Elser, Class of 2017

Move-in day for any incoming college student is notoriously nerve-racking. Even the phrase "orientation week" is enough to make any student anxious. My own experience of transitioning into college was no different.

I was so comfortable as a senior in the familiar Delone that we all know and love. Now I was being brought into an all new world with people and experiences I was unfamiliar with. What if I am not able to find my classes? Will I even do well in my classes once I get there? What if I don’t make any friends and end up spending the next four years secluded in my dorm room? These what-if questions ran ceaselessly through my mind as my parents and I pulled up to my building on Mount St. Mary's campus.

After unpacking and settling in, we said our goodbyes and they reassured me that everything would be okay. They say parents are always right and up until this point, mine hadn't proven this statement wrong. So, I put my faith in what they said and hoped for the best.

I consider myself to be an introvert; making new friends is not my strong suite. I tried to remember, however, that everyone else was just as afraid of putting themselves out there and meeting new people. I first met Mary Mulligan in a Freshman Seminar class where we sat next to each other. Since we are both secondary education majors and share a similar obsession for reading and The Phantom of the Opera, we became friends almost immediately. Through Mary, I met her roommate Lizanne Passaro and through Lizanne, I met most of my other close friends.

Soon enough, I was surrounded by a group of great people with interests and goals similar to my own. When I feel like I'm drowning in school work or losing my mind during finals week, I turn to my friends who make me laugh without fail. After playing a few games of air hockey or watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail with Ian and Guadalupe, my stress is relieved. I can always count on my friends to remind me that my GPA isn't everything that matters in the world. I look around the room at my friends now and find it so hard to believe that less than a year ago, I didn’t know any of them. It feels so comfortable – it's as if I have known them all my life.

Other than making friends, my major concern was for the daunting college courses that are deemed the arch nemeses of every student. I feared that I would not be capable of keeping up with five courses on top of working a part-time job. It was a pleasant surprise when I transitioned with ease from Delone's classes to courses at the Mount. In so many ways, the academic standard that Delone Catholic held me to fully prepared me for the college level academia that I've been exposed to at Mount St. Mary's.

The professors that I have had in my first two semesters have been incredibly encouraging. Each professor is helpful when I truly need it, but also imparts accountability on me. This balance pushes me onward and increases my growth as both a college student and a life-long learner. I could not be more thankful for the professors and advisors I have encountered in my college experience thus far.

Another plus side to college is the multitude of activities and clubs to get involved with. Just in the first few months of my freshman year, I joined a Bible Study, Conservative Club, and Fellowship and Hospitality (Campus Ministry). In my second semester, I also joined the club volleyball team – a sport I have not played in four years but have missed dearly. I joined without knowing a single person on the team. This is something I never would have normally done, but I decided to take the chance and join. Now I not only get to play my favorite sport, but I have become a part of an incredible team and family. The opportunities for fun and fellowship never run short on a college campus. The more friends I have met, the more I have grown through my interactions and experiences with them.

The friend who has impacted my college experience and life the most is my Bible Study leader, Rachel Keifer. Part of the reason I chose Mount St. Mary's University was for the faith base of its community and Rachel has been the perfect example of a faithful community member. She encourages me to get involved with my faith where I may otherwise hesitate to take that next step forward in my relationship with Christ. She has shown me how to be a Christian leader in a college setting – a role that's not easy, but she lives it with grace. In looking to Rachel and other faithful Mount students as role models, my faith has grown exponentially.

Coming to college seems scary – mortifying, really. Any time in which you step into the unknown will be frightening. I have learned, however, that it is only through new experiences that I can grow socially, academically, and spiritually. So yes, stepping outside of my comfort zone has been terrifying, but it has also been the most rewarding thing I have chosen to do in my first year of college. Here's to three more years.