Orange Group
Junior from Painesville, OH
What is your favorite quote?
‘Forget regret, or life is yours to miss’ – Rent
What was your biggest mistake as a first year student? What did you learn from that experience?
Getting involved with too many organizations. I wanted to make friends, I had a ton of interests, and I had a desire to get involved on campus and make a difference. Within the first couple of weeks of the semester I signed up for a ton of different organizations. Before I knew it, I was involved with over ten things on campus, plus having all of my schoolwork on top of that. At first it was easy to balance, however as the school year went on I found myself getting more responsibility put on me from each organization to the point where I was stressed and frustrated all the time. I then realized it was better to give 100% in a few organizations, rather than be involved with a million things and not be able to give 100% and constantly struggle with everything. Long story short, don’t get so involved to the point where you are stressed to no end and lose sight of why you joined that organization in the first place. Put your focus on a few things and dedicate everything you have to it!
How did you choose your major?
I came to BW as a Broadcasting major with a Music minor. I thought I wanted to get into working with television, but I also wanted to stay active with my trumpet playing. However, I found myself talking more about the Conservatory and enjoying my music classes more than my broadcasting classes, so then I realized that I wanted to be involved with music, not television. At first I thought I wanted to be a Performance major, and then I thought maybe a Music Ed. major, so I decided to prepare an audition in two months focused on those two majors. Then after my audition I remembered a program called Arts Management that a friend mentioned to me earlier that year. I decided to explore that option and absolutely fell in love with it! So I then changed my audition to count towards a B.A. in Music, and soon after I was accepted into the Conservatory. So now I am a B.A. in Music major, a Marketing minor and am involved with the Arts Management program. It just goes to show that no matter what major you intend on pursuing when you enter your first year, you can always change your mind if you find your passion lies elsewhere.
What has been you best experience at BW so far?
My best experience would just have to be all of the people that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet here! I’ve made some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for here at BW and I wouldn’t change them for the world. Without all of my friends my college experience definitely wouldn’t be what it is today, so I am so thankful for every single one of them!
What is your favorite spot on campus?
The Conservatory. Everything from the atmosphere, the people, the facility, and the music makes me love hanging out there. There are so many places where you can sit and work on homework, you always hear music everywhere you go, but you can also find a quiet spot too, if you need it. The Conservatory is just so lively and I enjoy every moment that I get to spend there!
What movie star would play the role of you in a movie? Why?
Anne Hathaway. She is a very compassionate, fun-loving, and adventurous person with just enough sarcasm and humor thrown into her personality – which helps describe how I am as a person.
What was the best advice given to you by your parents or family members during your first year?
Don’t ever give up. You’re going to have good days and you’re going to have rough days, but no matter what don’t lose sight of what your dreams are or let people get in your way and keep chasing them until you reach them. Anything’s possible if you just put your mind to it.
Final Word:
Make the most of your time here at college. If you ask any adult what their favorite time of their life was, almost every one of them will probably say ‘College’. So even though we are all here to work on academics, don’t forget to have fun and don’t let the small things get you down! You’re not going to remember that first math quiz that you maybe failed your freshman year or how many hours you spent on your Sociology paper you decided to do last minute – you’re going to remember the fun adventures that you have with your friends, the inside jokes, and the major events that you attend. Don't let studying and homework get in the way of enjoying everything - try to manage your time wisely so you can do everything that you want to do! Also, just remember to make every moment worthwhile, and don’t leave here with just memories of always working on schoolwork or stressing over everything, leave here with priceless memories that you will have forever!