It all started when Julia Dobson ‘27 and Hadley Szynal ‘27, photographed above, and Lucas Melo ‘27 met Mr. and Mrs. Gray, of Hamden, in the beginning of the school year when they moved into an off-campus, university-owned, house.

As the couple walked their dog one day, they greeted the students with a warm welcome to the neighborhood, a moment that the three students still remember fondly today.

“Mrs. Gray’s initial act of kindness when welcoming us to the neighborhood meant so much to us, and we wanted to pay it forward,” said Szynal. “Quinnipiac’s connection to its community is one of the very reasons that sealed the deal for me in high school when deciding between schools."

When Szynal mentioned the idea to go shovel Mr. and Mrs. Gray’s driveway, Dobson and Melo did not hesitate to walk over and help.

“I have always loved being an active member of the community, and I find that making a difference really comes down to showing up and giving a helping hand to those that may need it,” said Szynal.

Mr. and Mrs. Gray insisted on compensating the students. They initially offered money, but the students respectfully declined, explaining that it wasn’t necessary.

“Stephanie (Mrs. Gray) came over to drop off hot chocolate and a few days later gave us some fabulous cranberry, orange and white chocolate cookies and that's all the thanks and recognition I need,” said Melo.

After all was said and done, Mrs. Gray reached out to Monique Drucker, vice president student affairs and dean of students, to share news of the generosity of the students shoveling her driveway.

“Unbeknownst to me, three of Quinnipiac’s students showed up in my driveway while it was starting to snow and started shoveling,” said Mrs. Gray. “My husband has been shoveling but we both are in our mid-seventies and to have these three younger, stronger bodies take over the task was truly a gift!  They finished that morning and returned that night and promised to come back the next day, which they did.”

“Hadley Szynal, Julia Dobson and Lucas Melo have the traits and sensitivity I hope my grandchildren will develop,” Mrs. Gray added.

Melo, and his roommates strongly believe in the importance of doing good acts for others, and not only is it beneficial for the recipient but it can strengthen community bonds.

“No one in a community lives in isolation, there's a lot of good and bad that comes from that and I firmly believe to be a part of a village you need to be a villager," said Melo. "Quinnipiac is in Hamden, not the other way around and doing kind acts is important, not only for school relations but for when people are just living their lives, it's all the little things that make or break someone's day and I think being a good thing is worth the effort it takes.”

Rewarding, fulfilling and gratifying are a few of the words used by the students to describe this experience.

“I expected them to be grateful, and I was kind of hoping we could shovel and leave before they noticed because I didn't need to be told ‘good job’ to do the right thing,” said Melo. “Isn't that the saying ‘do the right thing when nobody's watching’? My mom raised me right. Stephanie came over to drop off hot chocolate and a few days later gave us some fabulous cookies (cranberry, orange, and white chocolate if you were wondering) and that's all the thanks and recognition I need.”

All in all, this experience made the students feel more included in the community, not just as students, but as neighbors and friends.

“I would tell other students that simple acts of kindness matter because they don’t just offer service but also purpose and connection. If I had to describe this experience in one word it would be fulfilling. I chose this word because this act fulfilled our needs as humans such as connection and respect,” said Dobson.