First Person: What "Community" At St. Lawrence Really Feels Like
When touring St. Lawrence, reading about St. Lawrence, or asking students about St. Lawrence, they will all talk about the community that the St. Lawrence campus has to offer. But what does that really mean? Why is the “community” at St. Lawrence so special and why is it different than what other campuses have to offer? To give you a better idea, I’ll tell you my story, my experiences, why I think St. Lawrence is so special, and why I decided to come here.
Coming as a first-year, I was scared of many things, like classes being too hard, not knowing anyone, and not being involved in any activities. But the moment I got here on move-in day, all of those fears melted away. I met other people in my first-year dorm that had similar interests as me and were just as scared as I was. We were able to bond over all of that.
Those bonds turned into friendship as I went through my First-Year Program with them and lived with them. Eventually, they turned into something so special, and I had this group of best friends because of our common experiences. I met my first SLU friends in my dorm, but as I branched out to other parts of the campus, I also met very special people elsewhere. My group of friends from my FYP now do all sorts of stuff on campus together and we all live together in Sykes as juniors.
No one at St. Lawrence is going to make you feel like a stereotypical first-year. Any upperclassman is just going to be thrilled that you chose St. Lawrence and tell you why you made the right choice. On my fourth day on campus, I decided to audition for the Singing Saints, the all-male a capella group on campus. The day after, one of the juniors there recognized me from the audition. He remembered my name and greeted me with a fist bump in the Student Center. That’s how I knew I made the right choice. I couldn’t believe someone could possibly remember my name after meeting me for 10 minutes. Now, the Singing Saints is my favorite group on campus. I'm the business director, and I even met my sophomore year roommate through the Saints.
Students across campus love St. Lawrence and all it has to offer. To me, that is what the community feels like. Everyone has a special connection even if they have never formally met. I still say "hi" to people I had one class with in my first year or met once at an event. Even if you're just meeting someone for the first time, it seems like you have known each other for years based on the ease of conversation that comes.
Community is walking around campus, seeing people you’ve never met before, but feeling connected to them because of your special St. Lawrence connection. That is why I chose St. Lawrence and why it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
