During my orientation, I was repeatedly told the same line, “Get involved in as much as possible.” To that, I figured I would try to, but also I would be focusing on adapting to college life. I hoped to make memories at SHU, but did not think I necessarily needed to be involved to do so.
One afternoon, my roommate and I were peering from our dorm room window in Seton Hall out onto the 63’s patio. We saw food trucks and commotion and decided to check our 50 First Days itinerary. Here we saw that this event was “Scoops with SG,” an ice cream event to spread the word about upcoming Student Government elections. I’m not sure if it was the ice cream or the amount of fun the students seemed to be having, but I decided we had
to go, my roommate reluctantly followed. In the following days, I won the election and fell in love with Student
Government. From this point on, I began to see the value of being involved. I began to join more and more clubs, dragging my friends to Pioneer Vote or Best Buddy meetings. But as time went on, I no longer had to beg people to
go with me, I now had new communities within these organizations. Being involved on campus does not have to mean joining clubs and organizations. Another one of my favorite ways to be involved was through my majors. In preparation for a test or a lengthy homework assignment, classmates and I would form study groups. These groups would serve as both academic and social areas of involvement. Soon, I would have my Student Government friends, my dance friends, my political science friends, etc. Although it is important to prioritize your schoolwork, it is equally
important to prioritize your involvement on other aspects of campus. Throughout my week, I had just as many, if not more, meetings and events to go to as I had classes.
To the students with more time left in their undergraduate time at Sacred Heart, I urge you to be involved. It is easy to be jealous of a lighter schedule, having flexibility in the day to shop or hangout with friends. But you will find you will never miss out if you prioritize your obligations. You have time to do it all.
When looking back on my memories at SHU, so many of them stem from the different organizations I was a part of. Leaving this aspect of my undergraduate career will be one of the toughest parts.
Thank you to SHU for creating a campus environment with such a high presence of students that are involved, and thank you to these organizations for making my experience so extremely positive. You truly do have time to do it all!
