My #FreshStart at Syracuse

I always had big dreams when it came to college. With a graduating high school class of 130 kids, I was beyond excited to immerse myself into the bigger Syracuse community. Move-in day came and went, and suddenly there I was, alone in my freshman dorm room, absolutely terrified. Thoughts raced through my mind. What if I don’t make any friends? What if I fail my classes? What if I don’t like it? What if I miss home? Endless worries flooded my brain until I was fully controlled by them. 

As I began my first semester, I was obsessed with taking on everything that I could. I only had four short years here on campus, so I had to make sure that I didn’t miss out on anything. What I didn’t realize was that I was falling behind in other areas of my life. I was too busy going to guest speakers, networking events, extra help sessions, you name it, that I didn’t have much free time. I started to see posts on social media from my peers on campus, and they looked like they were having the time of their life. That was when it really set in. I didn't like it here.

I went the entire first semester without visiting home once, which was odd for me since I only live about three and a half hours away. But I knew that if I went home, I wouldn’t want to come back, so I stuck it out. Winter break couldn’t come fast enough. I dreaded the return to school for the Spring semester, but I didn’t want to transfer. I knew how much Syracuse had to offer academically, especially since it has one of the best programs in the nation for my major in Sport Management.

So, I went back. I decided to go through recruitment for Greek Life, which forced me into broadening my friend group, and I met so many amazing people. Had these people been here the whole time and I was just too busy with my schoolwork? I realized right then and there that I had to fix my work-life balance, or more appropriately my school-life balance, because I was only hurting myself. As the weeks went by and I continued to push myself out of my comfort zone, my mindset started changing. Day by day, I started liking Syracuse even more. It was the beginning of March that I vividly remember calling my mom, who was aware of my struggles at school. I have never heard her sound so happy in her life than when I told her how much I finally love it here. Little did I know I was getting sent home for the semester two weeks later.

School from home was hard. I tend to get distracted easily, so it wasn’t helpful that I had both of my parents working from home too, constantly talking in the next room over. It was especially tough since I just started enjoying life in Syracuse for the first time, and then it was stripped away from me. I just kept telling myself to push through and that I would hopefully be back on campus before I know it.

Even though it felt like forever, August finally came, and I was ecstatic to get back on campus. Now that I was truly happy and genuinely loved Syracuse, I couldn’t wait to get started with my classes. As soon as I started surrounding myself with the right people and always being present in the moment, I noticed that success followed as a direct effect of that. I was confident, happy, and driven.

I am lucky enough to say that I love the school I go to and have met some of the best people in the world that continue to motivate me day in and day out. I came back to campus last August with a new mindset, to live in the moment and be the best version of myself. I considered that first day of my sophomore year to be a #FreshStart since that’s when I truly began my time at Syracuse. I am proud to say that I juggled many commitments last semester: taking a full schedule of classes, working as a recruitment intern with Syracuse Football, sharing my insight as a student assistant in the Department of Sport Management, and presenting at the Seneca Falls Dialogue Conference on a semester-long research project that looked into the role of cheerleaders in the NFL. I consider my biggest accomplishment of them all to be that I was happy all the way through.

As the Spring semester goes on, I’m eager to see what else I can accomplish. I’m working hard to apply for internships for this upcoming summer, manage my time wisely, connect with all of my amazing professors, and fully engulf myself in my classes. I’ve reached the point where I’m taking core classes for my major and new minor of public communications instead of gen ed requirements, so I am lucky enough to say that I genuinely love all my classes.

I’m extremely grateful to have had the experiences I’ve had in my life, because without them, I would not be the person I am today. I’ve come to absolutely love Syracuse and everyone that I have met here, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. #StudentVoices