Hi everyone, and welcome back to Holy Cross! I am so excited to be in my junior year (although not sure how I’m old enough to be considered an “upperclassman”). Since 1/3 of juniors study abroad, our class has been reshuffled, but I am enjoying getting to know new people I haven’t met before, especially from Fall Gateways!
Like last year, I participated in Fall Gateways to welcome new students to Holy Cross. This year, I worked specifically with Transfer Student Orientation Program, learning more about their specific challenges adjusting to a new campus and helping them through their transition. The entire team, including first-year orientation leaders, became a very tight-knit group before classes even started. We had so much fun welcoming the first-year students on Move-In Day and guiding them through orientation programs — a great way to start the year!
While a lot of my extra-curriculars remain the same from last semester, this year my Spanish class has a Community-Based Learning (CBL) component I am excited for. CBL is a unique program that allows students to both directly impact the community while also contributing a real-world example of topics related to a class. I am excited to work with the Worcester Public Schools Transition Program this year, where we organize activities and games for students — entirely in Spanish! This will be a great opportunity to practice my language skills with more native speakers and build relationships with members of the Worcester community.
That’s all my news from Mt St James for now — check back next time to hear about my new CBL site and fun campus activities!