People often dwell on making the wrong choice, before, during, or after they make their decisions, but something I think is overlooked is how amazing it feels when you take a risk and it truly is the best decision. That has happened to me very few times in my life and I can maybe only point to one time when I was completely sure I made the correct choice. That one time was my decision to transfer to Merrimack College. It wasn’t a choice where I immediately felt relief or assurance that this was the place for me or felt confident in my resolution. However, after I spent maybe a month or two here, I would be walking around campus feeling lighter and more content. I thought it might have just been that my mood was better and I was happier regardless of my environment.Â
As I reflected more, I realized that my happiness was coming from Merrimack as my new home. I reached that conclusion because I had still been struggling with some of the same things as the prior year, but they did not negatively affect me as much. It wasn’t that my life was suddenly perfect or I had no issues, but my environment wasn’t bringing me down. Here, I have support, community, and a sense of purpose that I lacked before.
At Merrimack, I have found numerous communities where I feel a sense of belonging and support that I lacked before. It is one thing to have an amazing group of friends and roommates but to be able to go outside those groups and still not feel alone is truly special. I feel so privileged to be able to walk into work on campus every day and feel like my coworkers would hang out with me if I was having a bad day and support me when I needed it. The sense of community here has also given me the ability to attend a club meeting and not feel socially isolated; those organizations cause a feeling of being attached to Merrimack as a greater college and community rather than just feeling close to my immediate group of friends. I often joke that Her Campus is the pride and joy of my college experience because I have invested so much in it and it has given me so much in return. It continues to inspire me with a sense of community and purpose at Merrimack, and I aim to give others the sense of belonging and acceptance that I have found in so many different spaces. It feels like all the communities within Merrimack have accepted me with open arms, and I have done the same.Â
I like to say that I felt like I was getting “an education” before but here at Merrimack, I am getting my education. I have a favorite professor, who I have for the third time, and I get excited to go to class because she is a great teacher, but also because we have developed a relationship and actually know each other. I love bumping into my advisor on campus or even professors I have had just one time. I feel constant support in my academic life here and am equipped with resources to make the most of my education. People always say college is what you make of it, and it really is. Maybe I have made it my own because I had the experience of going somewhere I didn’t feel comfortable or even like I had one place on the campus where people excepted me.
As senior year begins and I imagine will fly by, I feel even more in love with Merrimack than when I first got here or realized it was the right fit. I just spent my summer as an Orientation Leader, and to be able to explain my love and time here with my excited, terrified, freshman made me even more grateful. They are all so hopeful and looking for someone to guide them to success here, and I couldn’t have been happier to do it. Everything I have learned and experienced here led me to be able to get up in front of a group of them and be honest, vulnerable, and a leader.Â
Even now after spending two years here, I still walk around on a nice day and still feel lighter and overwhelmed with happiness. From the time I arrived on campus for the first time to now, I am a completely different person. I am no longer afraid to speak my mind or constantly feel insecure about myself or my ideas; I have learned so much about myself and feel comfortable and confident with the knowledge of myself that I have developed here. I owe so much of my success and development to Merrimack for allowing me to get to know myself and to Merrimack for letting me know all it has to offer.