Why I love THE SISTERHOOD
Every day I feel prouder and more confident in my decision to attend Saint Mary’s, and I am so glad I did because I could not see myself being anywhere else. Saint Mary’s has brought me lots of different opportunities I doubt I could get anywhere else and has given me a place I know I can call home. So here are a few of the reasons why I love Saint Mary’s so much.
- The Sisterhood is REAL
Every time I walk around campus I can count on the fact that I will always see a familiar face that will smile at me and say hi even when neither of us is having a good day. I know I can walk into the DH (shout out to NobFam) and see a familiar face I can sit with, or even people I don’t actually know but can count on to have lunch with, because we are all Belles. Whether it be at a party, Domerfest, the bus stop, or even a club meeting you can be sure that “no Belle is left behind”, we can always count on our fellow Smicks to take care of us when we are in need, because we all want the best for each other, we are sisters and we stick together.
- It’s a small school where professors will actually make an effort to get to know you
I will never forget my first semester when one of my professors required everyone in the class to meet with him, so he could get to know us, our strengths and our weaknesses. Or when hurricane Irma struck Florida, and every single one of my professors asked me if my family was okay. Unlike in big schools, professors actually care about each belle in their class, and their name. We are not just a number, but to them we are a name that is expected to do their best in class.
- Once a Belle ALWAYS a Belle
The sisterhood lives on long after we graduate, and every older belle cares about us younger belles, and wants us to be as successful as they are. If you don’t believe me then go take a look at our new beautiful athletic facility, Angela. 27 MILLION DOLLARS donated by our alumnae, just because they wanted US to have a place to increase our mental and physical health. Many of them graduated long ago, so building Angela has no effect on their life, they donated this money for us, so we can have a better future and help future belles.
- Saint Mary’s literally gives you the BEST of both worlds ( Shout out to my homegirl Deirdre Drinkall’s article https://www.hercampus.com/school/saint-marys/belles-get-best-both-worlds)
We go to a small school, with small classes, where each and every one of our opinions matter, our professors truly know us, and we have the best learning experience there is. We go to an all-girls school where it doesn’t matter if you woke up 5 minutes before class and didn’t have time to do your make-up or hair because there is no one to impress (unless some HCC or ND boy signed up for your class), every night is a sleepover with your best friends, we don’t have to deal with the insecurity many women face to speak up in class and be called “bitchy” because their strong opinions, their tone of voice. As belles we build each other up and support every belle no matter where they come from, or where they are going. But as if that was not enough we also have the opportunity to have a “big school experience”. We can take a 7-minute bike ride across the street, or short walk and take advantage of all the opportunities offered through Notre Dame, and it also makes up for the lack of male population in our campus, oh yeah and football games.
- Saint Mary’s has brought me the best group of friends could ask for
Not everyone in a big school can get to say that they met “their people”, and the friends they would want to be their bridesmaids at their wedding the first few weeks of school, but I can honestly say that within days of being at Saint Mary’s I got to know some of the most amazing women I’ve met in my life, and every day I get a chance to know more about them, and learn from and with them. These are friends that I know will always be there for me and I can count on to call an hour before my flight was redirected to a different city and know I can stay with them. Friends that have challenged me and have taught me lessons about life that I would’ve learned anywhere else. These friends are women I admire, and know will make it far in life, and will help me do the same. So, shout out to SQUAAA and to Saint Mary’s for bringing such amazing people to my life, and for forming women that go out into the world to make a difference.