For the past 4 years, Nazareth has been my home away from home and I have loved every second of it. As the cliche goes, all good things must come to an end, and this end is closer than I’d like to acknowledge (1 month til graduation!). Although it seems impossible, I’ve distilled the main things I’ve learned at Naz into a short list.
1. You can’t beat our community. Naz is so much more special than people realize. There are few colleges that can boast the close relationships between our students. This is transcendent among all grade levels. Everyone is so supportive of each other when it comes to academics, athletics or even just small accomplishments. It’s amazing how often I hear someone asking an acquaintance how a big test or game went the day after. Along with this, there is the fact that you’re never alone, and if you are, everyone is friendly. Very rarely do I feel nervous to go to anything alone, as I know that someone will be there for me to sit with (whether it be a lecture, or a volleyball game). I’m so lucky to have become friends with all of the amazing people that I’ve met here. I can honestly say that I don’t know of a more closely knit campus. The support system and camaraderie on this campus is something that I will miss immensely once I graduate.
2. Our professors are incredible people. Sometimes we forget that our professors are more than just teachers. The majority of our faculty are scholars in their fields, adjuncts who work other jobs, club advisors, community members and personal mentors. I have been so fortunate to be extremely close with my faculty in the art department since my first semester of college (back in September 2011). These people are amazing artists and professionals who have so much to offer us as students. We’re so lucky that our faculty is so caring about us as both students and individuals. I don’t know a lot of other places where their faculty are so involved in the community as well as in our lives. If you’re lucky enough to have time left here, absorb everything you can from these lovely individuals. They truly are remarkable.
3. I am leaving school fully prepared for a career. College, of course, is the time to learn how to transition from high school student to adulthood, but often we get so caught up in schoolwork that we forget what the end product of college is: to be prepared for a career. Between Career Services, professional internships, student teaching, clinical and volunteer opportunities, Naz has given me every possible tool for being a successful professional upon my graduation. Of course, there is nothing like your first job to really whip you into “adult shape,” but Naz lays down the essential groundwork to make this a seamless transition. Anything I’ve been taught in a classroom or in my two internship experiences has lead me to success already. Because of what I’ve learned and who I’ve met along my 4 years, I’ve been lucky enough to have employers coming to me due to the caliber of work done at Naz and its reputation for academic and professional excellence.
I have never been more nervous and excited to enter the “real world” and finish this chapter of my life. I am so lucky to have had 4 wonderful years at an amazing college. Although I am extremely sad to leave Nazareth behind, I know I won’t be going far. Naz’s infectious atmosphere is something I don’t plan on abandoning in the near future. I have chosen to stay in Rochester in order to pursue my career post-graduation because of my amazing experience as a student at Nazareth. I would give anything to get 4 more years at Naz, but know that I am so lucky to have had my college experience. Although I will no longer be climbing the stairs to GAC or showing my art in the undergraduate student show, I won’t be a stranger. You can catch me next year running around campus, supporting my underclassmen athlete friends, and hanging around the prettiest campus in Rochester. Thank you, Nazareth, for giving me the best 4 years of my life.
Our senior’s are full of advice. Here’s Packy’s “Advice to Senior, from a Senior” and Nicole’s “5 Messages My Senior College Self Would Tell My Senior High School Self”.