Over the past few years, I have made so many incredible memories and grown in ways I could never have imagined!

The summer before my first year at Quinnipiac, I had a lot of fears and worries: Will I be able to manage my classes? Will I make friends? Who is going to tell my dog that I love him. Despite these worries, I kept hearing the same phrase all summer: “College will be the best years of your life.” I didn’t know it then, but this was absolutely true.

During my first semester, I became best friends with the people I lived with. I joined the Honors Living Learning Community, where I made many friends of all different majors. My first-year seminar class was an intimate group of 13 students. We would meet before class in the lobby of our residence hall and walk together while playing Taylor Swift to help us wake up.

Throughout my first year, I joined several clubs and organizations, including the first-year advisory board. In this group, I had the opportunity to connect with other first-year students and talk about our experiences transitioning to college. We learned with each other and senior staff at the university.

I also found a community in my on-campus job in the Undergraduate Admissions office. As a student ambassador, I give tours of our campuses and have met so many incredible friends in the office. There is nothing quite like sharing stories from your tour over a cone of soft-serve ice cream.

Don’t get me wrong. My time at Quinnipiac has not always been smooth sailing. There have been exams I have not done as well on and conflicts with friends — that’s part of life. But throughout these challenges, there will always be numerous resources and support systems to guide you. Whether it is the free peer tutoring or academic coaching at the Learning Commons, the resident assistant or residence hall director, the Office of Student Accessibility, the counseling services in the Student Health Center or even your favorite professor, there is always someone there to help you through these moments of growth. All you have to do is ask.

And through it all, I have grown in ways I could never have imagined. I am so proud of the young woman I am becoming.

All this to say, you will be just fine. In fact, you will be better than just fine. You will be great! Quinnipiac has so many opportunities to offer, whether you want to join an intramural or club sports team, hop in the podcast studio and record a conversation with your friends, perform at the annual Bobcat’s Got Talent show or travel abroad. Take advantage of all that you can; time really does fly when you’re having fun.

If you have any worries or just want to chat before you start the fall at Quinnipiac, feel free to reach out! I’m just an email away (eve.behrens@qu.edu), and I am always happy to help answer any questions you have!

See you in the fall!