"At first, Holy Cross was not even a school on my list. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the school itself, but I thought it was too close to home. Home for me is Brooklyn, Connecticut, 35 minutes south of Worcester. I had no interest in being so close to home, but at the insistence of my dad, my mom and I visited campus for a tour and an info session. I vividly remember leaving Fenwick after the tour, walking across the lawn, telling my mom, 'I hate that I loved it.' In my mind, touring Holy Cross was only to satisfy my parents and to ensure in me that the other schools I liked were the ones for me. In reality, the opposite happened.
I realized that Holy Cross was everything I wanted and more. This was the school for me. Holy Cross has a great English program, study abroad opportunities, a figure skating club, Spring Break Immersion, Montserrat, The Spire, SPUD – everything I was looking for. It sounds cliche, but I had that feeling people talk about when they find the right school. I then applied Early Decision.
Fast forward to summer orientation, I was more than a little nervous, but equally excited. I, loving research and loving to be prepared, had read the bios for the orientation leaders (OLs) and saw that one of them was a figure skater. Not more than an hour into being on campus, I recognized her from the picture on the website. I went up to her and asked if she was the OL who skated, and she was.
She was so incredibly kind and welcoming the whole time during Summer Gateways and it made me feel so excited to be on campus. It was the first time I thought to myself, 'wow, this is the place for me.' I could see myself fitting in, see myself becoming friends with her and the other people in my orientation group. I could see myself being a part of this campus. I left those first few days ecstatic, ready to start my college experience.
Then, during Fall Orientation, who was one of the first people I saw? The figure skater OL who I had met during Summer Orientation! She greeted me with a smile and a hug, welcoming me to campus! She remembered me! Again, I thought to myself, 'Wow, I belong! Wow, these people are so nice!'
During the first few days of orientation, every time I saw her she gave me a big smile and asked how I was doing during orientation. This one OL, who wasn’t even my OL, made me feel so incredibly welcomed and loved, during a time that can be a difficult transition. Throughout the semester, every time I saw her, she smiled, asked how I was, and was overall just an amazing person to be around and see on campus.
Since then, I have become involved in so many things and have fallen in love with Holy Cross over and over again. Frequently, I call or text my mom in a rush of excitement about the things that I get to do here. I tell her that I made the right decision and that I am in the best place I could possibly be."
