Reflections on my first year at Hurst

Gillian Mazur, Staff writer

I am just now concluding my first year of attendance here at Mercyhurst.

One word I would use to describe my first year here at Mercyhurst University is “opportunity.”

Throughout all the laughs, tears, genuine memories and friendships that I have made this first year, I truly believe that my choices have gotten me to where I am today.

At some point, every single person will doubt their choices and wonder what would have happened had they chosen differently.

I will admit that at my lowest points in the year, I doubted my decision to attend Mercyhurst.

I wondered what it would have been like if I picked differently and gone somewhere else.

But throughout these doubts, some of my best memories and the thought of all of the opportunities I have at Mercyhurst kept circling through my mind.

Deep down I knew for a fact that the amount of opportunity for academic, professional and personal growth would have been completely unattainable at a different school.

Whether the opportunity to attend Mercyhurst University was granted to me by total happenstance or through my own efforts, I am continually reminded that I am where I am meant to be.

I know that I am truly on the correct path through the people I have met and the chances Mercyhurst University has been willing to take on me.

What really blows my mind is the fact that my first year has come to a close.

It feels like I have been here forever, and yet at the same time, it feels like the year has gone by in the blink of an eye.

Beyond that, there is the matter of the courses I took and the professors I had.

I have had some great professors in both my REACH and major classes.

They have absolutely helped me become a more well-educated scholar.

But it was not just the faculty that gave a hand.

There have been some amazing and inspiring upperclassmen who have helped guide me along the way.

My only hope is that I am able to fill their shoes and continue to do the same for the class of 2023.

Equally amazing is how much has changed in my life from the beginning of the school year to the end.

Plenty of people have said that college changes you, and it is true.

I have faced adversity and have grown stronger.

I have made new friendships and had some falling-outs.

I have had classes that have challenged me.

More than anything else, I found out that I am more than capable.

I still have three years ahead of me before I graduate.

Looking toward that future, I cannot fathom how much is going to change in those three years.

I advise my fellow peers who are reading this article to take a step back and reflect on the school year that has passed.

That goes double if you are feeling totally overwhelmed right now.

I am sure that you will be able to find the beauty within the chaos that is college.