What are you most looking forward to this semester?

I’m looking forward to re-inventing myself. Over winter break, I took a lot of time to reevaluate what I was doing and how I felt about it. When you’re going into college for your first semester, you have all of these expectations for yourself and you obviously want to achieve them. I believe I got to a point where I was prioritizing my schoolwork over my own self-worth and happiness. This semester I’m prioritizing being happy over schoolwork, but I still want to keep school as a main priority.

What are you most looking forward to in your future years at UNCW?

I just want an enriched educational experience. I want to learn many skills, and I believe I can do that through the Communication Studies major. I want to figure out where I’m going in life as well because I’m a very indecisive person. I’m excited to figure out what my future plans are after college. 

How have you changed since first coming to UNCW?

I’ve become a bit more easy-going. I learned to prioritize myself above all and take care of myself. Before, I was struggling to try and be as studious as possible. I’m still very interested in my studies, but I realized that I need to be okay on the inside before I can be okay on the outside.  

Could you talk about some of the resources on campus that you personally use?

STARBUCKS!!! Even though I’m learning to use Port City Java and other places like Dub’s Cafe, coffee is a constant in my life at the moment. Coffee is essential for me. Depaolo is also a great resource that I’ve used a few times. It’s been helpful for my classes in Math and English. I’m also very interested in resources for students like the Student Government Association (SGA). I’m the freshman class president and vice-chair of external affairs.  It provides a strong connection between the student body and the administrative groups of UNCW. The Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (OSLE) is another big resource that I use. 

Why are these resources important to you?

These resources are important because they provide me with a well-rounded college experience. Anything from student organizations, Dub’s Cafe or coffee. Everything is set in place for us to have an enriched experience. These resources soften the blow when it comes to transitioning to college. 

What are some resources that you would like to see implemented in the future?

Another dining hall would be nice because I feel like the lines at some of the other dining locations are becoming too long. Sometimes there are situations where I don’t have time to wait for food in between class and it makes the experience really inconvenient for me and anyone that has a schedule like mine. The resources on campus are amazing, but as UNCW grows, I’d like to see the resources grow as well. I wish for more dining locations, more coffee shops, more bike racks and more parking. We have a lot of students, but we don’t always have a lot of resources for them. Our resources need to grow as our institution grows. More of everything!