Back in October 2023, I was working a busy desk shift at the Holiday Inn where I lived in Maine. I’m a Front Desk Agent and handle guests associated with events, the group’s check-ins, and any assistance they may need. Specifically, we were hosting a Principal’s Association conference. It was busy, and after meeting a particularly kind gentleman, I peeked at his guest profile during check-in to see which school he came to represent.
Endicott College.
As a full-time student who also worked full-time on her “days off”, I had my hands full and was too anxious to change what I had going on. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right? I had been attending my community college for many years, having graduated that Spring with my degree in Liberal Studies. I had been working on a second degree in Communications & New Media with a focus on Journalism & Photography. I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do with my degrees, other than the fact I was a poet and wanted to work towards publication, but that wasn’t on my radar. I started digging for information on the college since it was familiar, and it turns out I had briefly looked into their school when I was a senior in high school. However, my counselor had told me that most of the schools I was interested in were basically out of my league and I didn’t have the credits nor the money for either. This woman bullied students for a living, but the joke is on her now; I’m about to have two degrees in my field of study that she told me weren’t a profession back when we met in 2012.
A week passed. I suddenly began writing an application essay for Endicott during one of my evening desk shifts. In high school, I struggled emotionally and mentally between my personal and home life, never feeling the support I needed from the school staff. I was nearly last in my class and a graduation speaker who did not get into a single college. But look at me now! My enthusiasm for the perspective of a new adventure sparked like wildfire: I started applying to several colleges for Creative Writing. Soon enough, I received acceptance letters! My top choice was Endicott despite some impressive competitors including UMaine Farmington, Rhode Island College, and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Emerson waitlisted me, whereas two schools rejected me. Endless tears and constantly working full-time were finally paying off, and as my academic advisor had always urged me to, I began to dream.
In March of 2024, I received my acceptance to Endicott College and called my advisor in tears. No other acceptance letter mattered to me now. This was it: the school with everything I could have ever imagined. Internships, a bachelor’s degree in writing, and even tons of clubs relative to my field could help me learn how to get my work out into the world. I went into my decision fiercely: I missed Students Acceptance Day due to a northeastern storm just a few days prior in Maine and a severe case of the flu while I was packing to move into my new school. My life had been on the rocks, but everything was finally coming together. After great financial strife, a loan acceptance, and my strong-willed determination (thanks Mom, I got it from you), I finally made it to Endicott College.
Every day has been a grand adventure. I am now a Deputy Writer for HerCampus Endicott Chapter, preparing to write for our student publication in the new year and taking a senior-level thesis course which will ultimately have me publish a copy of my work this coming Spring. Everything’s coming up aces. As somebody who was so afraid to leave her out-grown nest, I finally was able to spread my wings. I found a new home within Endicott’s walls, and for that one moment during a work conference, I will be forever grateful.