As a first year graduate student and someone who has attended the same institution for undergrad, it just feels so surreal to know just how far I’ve come in these last couple of years.Â
Although I am originally from sunny Southern California, I decided to make a big move to the East Coast and attend Thomas Jefferson University in 2021. I remember feeling like I didn’t fit in, transferring in during my junior year where it seemed like everybody knew each other already. I hit it off with some other classmates, but our relationships never evolved past acquaintances.Â
Something that has really helped me, even to this day, was getting involved on campus and breaking out of my comfort zone. I was actively in the know about what happened on campus before I even transferred, as I had luckily been introduced to someone who was already a student. Through them, I landed a position as a student ambassador and led tours for prospective students and their families. Â
Our training was one week after I had moved in off-campus, and it forced me to know the campus and its affiliated resources extremely fast. Through my peers and colleagues, I was able to be connected to a variety of other job opportunities on campus (such as First Year Seminar Peer Mentor and being a Building Manager at the front desk in Kanbar), and for that I am extremely grateful. Â
Not only was I able to make lasting connections and friends from getting involved in that capacity, but I decided to join other clubs and organizations as well. Her Campus, for instance, has helped me challenge myself, facilitate growth, and provided me with a creative outlet… all while enjoying the company along the way!Â
Being involved in some capacity, either as an organization member, student leader, or in a work study position, has positively improved my mindset and work ethic compared to how it was in community college. As an aspiring counselor, it is great to be able to have had customer facing roles to help me prepare for my fieldwork with clients throughout my program. Fostering camaraderie with coworkers or club mates in my downtime also helped me take a step back and realize not everything is about school (or work), and to set boundaries with myself.Â
I see very often on social media that college students are lonely and don’t feel like they fit in — and I was in the same shoes! Even with students who came from out of state to tour Jefferson, I remember their families having the same concern about adjusting to college life. I would always tell them the same thing: to get involved. It helped me and I hope it can do the same for anyone else struggling as well!Â