A new school year brings chance for growth

Michael Guido, News Editor

Coming back to campus this fall I found myself excited to return to school, and honestly, that was an unusual feeling.
Never before had I been excited to return to the place where you sit in a classroom and listen to someone lecture you, especially on a subject you’re not wholly invested in.
However, the day I stepped out of my car in the parking lot of Freeman Hall, I felt a rush of excitement, optimism and hope for another year of growth.
To me, college is so much more than the academics; it’s an opportunity to find out who you truly are, discover your forever friends and maybe even realize your calling in this world. It was for those reasons and so many more that I found myself thrilled to be back.
Whether or not you have “found yourself” by the time you graduate college, along the way you will grow as a person; this is a journey that is just starting and in fact never stops. With each new academic year you grow on your journey a bit more.
When I arrived on campus last fall, I came in as a wide-eyed freshman looking to get involved in whatever I could. In time, I found the clubs and friend groups that were right for me, not the least of which was finding my way onto the team at this newspaper. And yet along the way, I also found I was changing as a person.
I found I was becoming more diligent in getting my homework done and doing it thoroughly, and I was becoming more responsible when it came to taking care of so called “house chores” like doing my laundry and cleaning my room. Being on my own and having a certain amount of freedom and autonomy for the first time allowed me to develop a certain level of maturity that I hadn’t previously had. I knew by the end of that first year I had grown in so many different ways, and truth be told, I was immensely proud of myself and my accomplishments.
This semester alone, I am taking five classes, holding an internship, working as news editor for this paper, working at the library and also serving in a leadership capacity for my fraternity. I am so excited about the opportunities I will have throughout this semester.
Regardless of whether you’re a freshman just beginning your journey here at Gannon, a transfer in your first academic year or you’re beginning one of your last semesters here, make it a goal to strive for personal and academic growth.
In doing so, your journey as a college student will be much more meaningful and enjoyable.

MICHAEL GUIDO
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