Junior Year Is Finally Here!

Hey all!

I truly cannot believe that I am a junior in college! Where did the time go?! I know, I probably ask that question a lot…

This past summer, I decided to stay in Massachusetts-I usually tend to travel a lot during that time, but with me studying in England for a year, I wanted to stay home.

For the past two weeks though, I have been on campus working as an Odyssey* mentor (OM). I’ve always wanted to be a mentor for an incoming group of first years, because passing one’s wisdom down to others is how life keeps going. Everyone goes through similar experiences, so why not make it easier for others and share your knowledge, insights, and tips with those who don’t know as much?

I loved working with my Odyssey students! By the end of the week, I was so proud of them, I felt like a proud mom. #ProudMamaMoments They are definitely going to do great things in the future, and I cannot wait to see them contribute to our campus, as well as being their peer.

Top Photo: My Odyssey group two years ago. Shoutout to Meiling, my mentor!

Bottom Photo: My Odyssey group from this past summer. #YourMentorLovesYou!

After Odyssey ended, the OMs and Odyssey students transitioned to Fall Gateways. My students are now with their Orientation Leaders (OLs), and the OMs and I have been helping and participating in Fall Gateways as well. Yesterday was the Official Move In Day for first year students. Every year, multiple organizations on campus help move them in. Real talk: I was exhausted by lunch time-my legs were failing me haha-but the OLs’ energy and excitement kept me going.

The HC photographers were also going around campus taking photos to document the special occasion. More Real Talk: I don’t think they captured my good side, haha. Just picture this Asian girl wearing her glasses, moving heavy boxes up the stairs, with no warning that she would have her picture taken-my face was probably priceless. My picture was taken so many times yesterday that it got to the point where I did not feel comfortable. I wonder if my ALANA* friends felt the same? We could probably empathize with celebrities now.

They definitely wanted to take diverse photos. I know most schools probably want to paint an image that they are diverse, but perspective students may get a wrong impression of a school if they paint an image that really isn’t there. There are definitely more diverse schools out there, but fact: this school is definitely becoming more diverse. The student body is now about 23 percent minority and international students, which is a good thing!

Diversity was not an important factor when I was choosing a college, but it may be important to others. So, I decided that I wanted to share some personal experience of what it is like to be a minority on campus.

It’s just food for thought, I personally love Holy Cross and could not see myself at another institution. I’m also the kind of person who does not distinguish people by their race or ethnicity-all I see is the person in front of me. 🙂

* “Odyssey” is a one-week program open on a voluntary basis to all 1st-year ALANA and international students as well as American students living abroad, 1st-generation college students, and students for whom English is their second language. With a mixture of workshops, field trips, discussions, and volunteer and social programs, Odyssey will serve as an exhilarating introduction to your next four years at Holy Cross.

*“ALANA” refers to persons of African-American, Latin American, Asian-American, and Native American heritage.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2015 at 2:23 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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