Create your own college experience

Growing up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I knew I needed a change when applying to college to avoid four more years with the same people I graduated high school with. At the time, I was incredibly shy, and it impacted my entire high school experience.

Photo courtesy of Alexandra White

I knew that if I was able to join a new environment I could have a fresh start. I just didn't understand how much that would benefit me. When I started college, I felt like I was given the freedom to become the person that I wanted to be. I started getting better grades, I made new friends, and I had a new mindset. I wanted college to be an experience I could look back on and enjoy, and I wanted to be an active member of the Lasell community.

However, I was still a bit anxious. My first year I went to a 1851 Chronicle meeting and when I saw how many people there were, I left. I don't think I even made it up the stairs until I turned around. I attended a Chronicle meeting on Zoom my sophomore year and decided I would try to write an article. While writing my first article I realized how much I loved writing. I started looking forward to going to meetings and interviewing people on campus. As a journalism major, I knew that writing for the newspaper would help me gain experience, but I never knew it would be something I enjoyed.

I continued attending meetings, sometimes taking four or five articles each month. I got to know more students, professors, and members of the administration. I learned not only did I love writing, but it’s also something I can do as a career.

Finding my freedom and community at collegeBeing a part of the Lasell community has changed my college experience for the better. I have been able to grow and accept new opportunities that I would have been too anxious to participate in four years ago. As my time at Lasell comes to an end in the spring, I am glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and created the college experience that I had looked forward to.