I took a pink sticky note off Sarah Carter’s door in the Student Diversity Office. It read, “faith.” The objective was to take one note and add one. (The note I added was “optimism.”) I hung my “faith” sticky note from the wood stand on the top of my desk for a daily reminder and inspiration.
Spending the summer at Cabrini, I had no car and little money to buy food. The cafeteria was only open for summer camps. There were times I snuck in to get food and drinks during the evenings and mornings. For about three days, all I ate was ice cream cones and hot chocolate. But I always kept that “faith” sticky note in mind.
After contacting everyone I could about getting an on-campus job, the Director of the Wolfington Center, Thomas Southard, contacted me back. He asked if I would like a position as a research assistant to help start up the food pantry that is now open at Cabrini in the Wolfington Center. It was ironic that he brought me along to work on this project. The on-campus food pantry, Cabrini Cupboard, benefits low-income students facing food insecurity. My advice? Do not be embarrassed to talk with your advisor or a close professor about needing food to eat. Nutrition is essential in order to focus and get the best possible education.
There were many times when I had holds on my Cabrini account. I almost had to drop out after my first semester due to financial issues. Community college became a suggestion by family members, which wasn’t necessarily a bad idea; it just conflicted with my dreams. And I wanted to hold on tightly to my dreams. So, I began searching for scholarships and grants. It took patience. Trying to fill out the FASFA or PHEAA information got overwhelming at times. I would walk into the Cavalier Express Center, and the staff there genuinely helped me deal with confusion. I knew they stressed when the students were struggling. They always did their best to make sure I was good to go and just asked me to do my part. (Not to mention, they always asked how I was doing and then how my Grandma was doing. I was always greeted with a smile.)
When I was hungry, people did not let me starve, when I struggled financially, I was guided in the right direction, and when I wasn’t sure if I could continue my education at Cabrini, people were there to help me. They wanted to see me smiling and happy, and I wanted the same for them.
Cabrini is forever a family to me.