Odyssey
My junior year on the hill began with training for the Odyssey program, which has by far been my greatest experience on the hill. While going through the program itself was also helpful and fun, being on the other side was a transformative experience for me as I became a person of support, mentor and friend to others just as upperclassmen before me had done.
During the program I was in charge of mentoring 8 incoming first year students. As the program progressed and even afterwards, I began to build relationships with other students outside of my group and can happily say that I know most, if not all, students that participated in the program. Pictured below you can see how I continue to develop these friendships and peer-mentor relationships that budded during Odyssey.
Being a mentor this year has really helped me flourish not only as a leader, but a friend and person in general. I was definitely not the outgoing person that I now am during my first year at Holy Cross and being in this position has definitely helped me continue to grow in that aspect. I have seen myself become more social this year as I reach out to more people and try to immerse myself in new experiences. It’s a lot easier said than done when you are innately an introverted person, but I’m proud of my growth these past years and I’m happy to be able to say this.
Living at The Edge
One of the biggest transitions in junior year has been living off campus at The Edge, a new housing option off campus right by the canal district in the center of Worcester. Living here has many perks like having many many more places within walking distance (and as I’ve said before…. I love walking). On weekends I try to go to the Worcester public library as its only a 5 minute walk from my front door and have even gotten the chance to check out different coffee shops close to home. I even finally paid a long overdue visit to BirchTree & Bread Co. and got to taste their yummy homemade raspberry jam.
While living in the beautifully furnished apartments has its perks, there are a few things that aren’t as fun. Firstly, is groceries and cooking! Living here has been my first time having to buy my own groceries and cook as much as possible given the limited dining plan I have. While I looked forward to having home cooked meals, I did not anticipate how hard it would be to cook around my busy schedules given that I’m also almost never home. Additionally the transportation can be a bit tricky because the school provides shuttle every hour. While it is convenient and easy to plan around, there have been times where I’ve missed my shuttle and had to take ubers to or from campus to make certain meetings or classes. At the same time though, I appreciate that the shuttle schedule ends around midnight and it provides me with an unofficial curfew / stop time from being on campus either studying or working on an extra-curricular task. Despite this, I look forward to living here again next year because having your own room and restroom (with a bathtub!) is indispensable.
