My first semester at the College of the Holy Cross was a busy one.

From arriving on campus on August 6th for pre-season, to studying overnight on trips all across the northeast, I was always either playing soccer or doing schoolwork. This type of commitment was nothing like anything I had experienced before, but with that being said, I had such an amazing semester and I would be hard pressed to find anything I would’ve wanted to do differently. From an academic standpoint, I found all of my classes to be very interesting, especially a discussion based course that focused on racism and inequality in the first half of the semester and global poverty in the second half. While every class left me almost depressed and thinking about the world’s sins, it caused me to take a step back and look at my own community and my actions in a different light. This goes for both my community on Martha’s Vineyard and my new community at Holy Cross.

I was also given the opportunity to become a part of the Worcester community over the course of the semester. Whenever possible, my friends and I try to go into the city and explore what it has to offer. Whether that is going to see concerts or sporting events downtown or going out to eat when the dining hall food becomes unbearable, the city welcomes its students with open arms.

I had such an amazing semester that was all made possible due to the generosity of MVYouth. The kindness and generosity that is shown to me by this organization is unparalleled. I can’t wait to get started with my second semester in January.