I never thought these four years would go by like this.  I distinctly remember sitting underneath the 2013 banner in Davison Hall on orientation weekend as they raised it to the top of the ceiling thinking, ‘This will be the longest four years of my life.’
I had no intention of coming to Saint Anselm College. I did not fall in love with it the moment I hit the steps of this campus. I did not think about what school would be like here. I did not even look through the pamphlet. And yet, here I am, a soon-to-be graduate of this institution.
My affection for St. A’s was a slow build. I spent most of my freshman year contemplating transferring, and spent the first week trying to keep myself as busy as possible, hoping to make time go by faster.
Two chance occurrences happened at the same time that both altered my college experience. The first was emailing Lorie Cochran at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
The reason I even applied to St. A’s was for the politics program, and the opportunities at the Institute. When I needed a place for work study employment I thought the NHIOP would be the best place.
Through that one email, I met some of the most wonderful people, and I am so grateful I found them. The entire staff at the NHIOP was so supportive of me as a shy and timid freshman. Every question or concern I had was answered, and they made me feel like I had a place to go if I needed anything.
The second occurrence was signing up for The Crier. Meeting Father Jerome was quite the experience for an unknowing freshman, and he has tested me, especially my patience, immensely through the years.
My first assignment was to cover the story of the new executive director, Neil Levesque, at the NHIOP. I was terrified to interview anyone, let alone someone I would see on a regular basis.
Despite my obvious lack of confidence, Neil saw something in me that to this day I still do not understand, but after interviewing him that first time, he has mentored me and guided me to become the person I am today. He was the first person in a professional role that told me I could do something really big with my life, and helped give me every opportunity to build the foundation to do that.
As I grew to become more involved at the NHIOP and through Crier my feelings towards St. A’s started to change. At the end of my freshman year, I was hired as a Resident Assistant and I took it as a sign to stay.
Since freshman year I have had a ridiculous amount of opportunities at this school. I have met nationally renowned journalists, presidential candidates, and campaign analysts. I have interned on a presidential campaign, participated in the New Hampshire Primary, and worked for a national news organization. I have acquired professional skills I never would have had at any other school.

So, no, I did not want to come to St. Anselm. I was not excited when I moved in, and spent my freshman year praying it would go by as fast as possible.
But now, as a senior, I realize that I would not be in the place I am in if I had not come to St. Anselm. I would not be as confident or as certain of myself, and what I want to do, and I would not have been lucky enough to have the people I do in my life.
Thank you, Saint Anselm. I have appreciated every opportunity you have given me and I look forward to seeing what is next.