When I first began my hunt for a university, I was excited because this would be the first time in my life that I got to choose where I wanted to get my education from. However, I wasn’t quite sure where to start. I knew that I didn’t want to go to a school that was too far away, so I looked at smaller schools that were close to home. It was my mom who really helped me in my search for a new school. She was the one who first suggested Cabrini as an option, and I added it to my list without giving much thought to it being her alma mater.
I toured all of the schools that I had applied to, but none of them seemed to stand out to me in the way that Cabrini did. Cabrini was the perfect size, the perfect distance from home, had a beautiful campus full of trees, and was in a great area. I was also offered a place in Cabrini’s honors program, which was another benefit.
My dad’s side of the family has a history of Penn State graduates, and growing up I always thought that I would follow along in their footsteps and go to my dad’s alma mater. However, in choosing Cabrini, I got to start a new family history by following in my mom’s footsteps, and I hope that one day this tradition can be passed down to another member of my family.
Even though Cabrini was once my mom’s home, I chose to attend this university for me. It had the qualifications that I was looking for in a university, which just so happen to have been the same qualifications that my mom looked for over 25 years ago when she chose Cabrini. My mom and I have a lot in common, which led us both to choose this university to be our new family.
Starting my new life at Cabrini was scary at first, but I quickly grew to love it. One of the biggest ways that Cabrini supported me was in my journey of picking a major. I came in as a freshman undecided, without a clue of where I wanted my life to take me. It was the faculty at Cabrini, but most especially the faculty of the English department, who helped me to make that decision. Two of the professors in the English department saw potential in me, a potential that I had always known was there in the back of my mind, but had never chosen to act on. They believed in me, giving me a confidence boost, the nudge that I needed to choose to become an English major. The English Department quickly became my second family, and I have made so many connections with both the faculty and the students within that community.
Cabrini has allowed me to grow in a number of ways, as well as get involved on campus. I became involved in Cabrini’s literary magazine, Woodcrest, publishing articles in the past three editions, as well as being a member of the editing staff. I joined Cabrini’s dance team my junior year and was able to dance at both the men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse games as well as take part in competitions. I was also able to study abroad twice through Cabrini—once for a week with one of my English classes, and the other for the fall semester of my senior year in London. All of these opportunities that Cabrini gave me have really allowed me to explore my passions in a meaningful way.
I am so happy to be a member of the first graduating class of Cabrini University. Cabrini has grown alongside of me, going from a college to a university during my time here; at the same time, I was growing as a person. It is so fitting that we both hit our goals this year. Now that my Cabrini experience is over, I am looking forward to seeing where life takes me, whether that be in the US, back in London, or somewhere else.
Cabrini has given me the confidence to explore all that life has to offer me, and that is a gift that I will be forever thankful for.