{"id":1728,"date":"2024-10-22T16:46:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T16:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/?p=1728"},"modified":"2024-10-23T19:39:51","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T19:39:51","slug":"commuter-to-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/2024\/10\/22\/commuter-to-community\/","title":{"rendered":"My WooState Story: Commuter to Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
Looking back on my time at Worcester State, I think of all of the fond memories that I made. My mind floods with images of the Student Center buzzing with activity on a typical autumn day or of the studious silence enjoyed on the third floor of the Learning Resource Center. Though they may have been simple, I wish that I realized sooner how impactful those moments and countless others really were.<\/p>\n
I transferred to Worcester State after a lukewarm experience studying at a small college near Syracuse, New York. The New York school itself was fine, and I had a strong network of friends in my freshman year, but my time there was largely soured by the social restrictions imposed due to the pandemic that raged on. Admittedly, I also missed being home.<\/p>\n
When I moved home to Oxford and started classes on Chandler Street the next fall, I felt indifferent about college. As a commuter student, I usually just drove to campus, attended my classes, then drove home as quickly as possible, except for the occasional lunch at the dining hall. Apart from my coursework, I was a passive member of the community. That was all I wanted from college for about a year and a half.<\/p>\n
Things started to change during my junior year. I struck up conversations with my classmates and professors and maintained those connections beyond the classroom. On-campus events, initially an irrelevant part of student life to me, became something that I actually tried to attend. For the first time since becoming a Lancer, I came out of my shell and took risks, both academically and socially.<\/p>\n
The more I opened up, the more I realized that I was not alone in my original sentiments about college. I found kindred spirits in other commuter students who shared the experiences that I had, yet managed to become a part of something greater on campus. This inspired me to make the most of my final few semesters at Worcester State.<\/p>\n
I applied for a writing internship in the university\u2019s Communications and Marketing Office and landed what turned out to be the most rewarding job I have ever had. As a correspondent for Worcester State news publications, I saw more of the campus than I had in my sophomore and junior years combined. My assignments took me to events that I otherwise never would have attended and introduced me to many of the brilliant minds that make up the Worcester State community. Through this work, I developed a new appreciation for a place that I had spent so much time at, yet knew so little about.<\/p>\n
A class trip to Ireland during my final spring break was something that my sophomore-year self never would have envisioned, but when I saw that one of my favorite professors, Dan Hunt, was leading it, I placed my deposit as soon as possible. Seeing Ireland introduced me to an entirely new and exciting culture. I shared this journey with 18 classmates from our course, Ireland in Image and Text, and I now consider those classmates to be friends. It was the perfect ending to a year where I seized every opportunity that was presented to me.<\/p>\n
I see how I\u2019ve grown from an indifferent commuter student to an engaged member of the Worcester State community. From observing a historic total solar eclipse on a trip to Vermont led by Professor Andrew Burkhardt, to exploring centuries-old streets abroad with my classmates, to riding around campus in a Kubota with Facilities Assistant Vice President Sandra Olson, Worcester State has provided me with more memories and opportunities than I ever would have expected.<\/p>\n
Top image: Paul Davey \u201924 takes in the wonder of The Burren in County Clare, Ireland, as part of a university trip during spring break 2024. Courtesy Paul Davey.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At Worcester State, I became part of something greater. Looking back on my time at Worcester State, I think of all of the fond memories that I made. My mind floods with images of the Student Center buzzing with activity on a typical autumn day or of the studious silence enjoyed on the third floor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2683,"featured_media":1735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[20,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lancer-nation","category-worcester-state-magazine-150th-anniversary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n