People say time flies when you’re having fun, and college is no exception. For some Mercyhurst students this is their senior year and their last year to call Mercyhurst their home. Meghan Hess is one of these students.

Hess is a senior business marketing major with a strategic communication minor, so you could say she has quite a busy schedule.

This didn’t hold her back, though. Hess was involved in a variety of things, including holding the position this year of president of Mercyhurst Student Government.

Contributed photo

Some of her other activities included Student Ambassadors, Public Relations Student Society of America, Leadership Certification Program, Student Activities Council, American Marketing Association and Business and Accounting Club.

When we graduate from college, there will most likely be a teacher or person who has positively affected our lives. For Hess, it was Meghan Corbin, director of marketing and public relations and a professor in the communication department.

Hess had several classes taught by Corbin, but she also had the opportunity to be her intern during this term. Corbin teaches with a more hands-on approach and uses real world experiences to teach her students, which is something that Hess enjoyed about taking her classes.

She joked that “Yes, there is some testing, but it’s not just about memorizing terms.”

“I appreciate that she focuses on her students during their time at Mercyhurst and after. Overall she is a really nice person, which also helps,” Hess said.

Although college is where we come to learn, there is much more to it than that.

When asked what her most memorable experience was she paused and had to give it some thought because she simply loved her time at Mercyhurst.

At first, she said her trip to Ireland this past summer for the “Mercy Pilgrimage” was her favorite. While traveling, the group had the chance to attend a leadership conference in Dublin at the Mercy International Center for three days.

A few questions later, Hess asked, “Can I change my most memorable experience?”

She decided that her favorite moment was when her friends threw her a bar crawl for her 21st birthday. Thirty of her closest friends were planning to surprise her with the night, but she found out. Her friends also had the creative idea to have T-shirts made and decided to keep it a secret, so they could surprise her with something, but she found out about that too.

Hess said, “Both experiences have to do with drinking…I swear I’m not an alcoholic.” She said sarcastically, “My parents will be so proud.”

Hess is sad that she has to graduate and leave Mercyhurst. Mercyhurst has taught her how to grow as an individual. She tried to avoid sounding cliché, but she said, “This is my home away from home.”

Her advice for students is to never take any day for granted because college really does go by fast. She encourages everyone to get involved, meet as many people as you can and expose yourself to everything Mercyhurst has to offer.

In addition, she said, “Smile at strangers. You never know who could be your next best friend or who just simply needs a smile.”

Her future plans right now are to work for a public relations or advertising agency.

Hess giggled. “My dream is to move to New York City and marry a lawyer.”

Realistically, she will probably move back to Buffalo or stay in Erie to find a job. She is continuing the job search until something comes up.

She ended the interview with saying, “Seriously, I love Mercyhurst, and it is going to be so hard to leave and say goodbye. My little sister is coming here next year, so I will definitely be back to visit and stay in tune with the Mercyhurst community.”