Mission 100 Days: Diving In

By: Sara Swenson, Copy Editor

When I was deciding which colleges to apply to, I knew I wanted to stay local, so my decision was between UB and Canisius. Knowing I didn’t want to face large class sizes where I’d become lost among masses of students, I took a little leap of faith and chose Canisius. I wasn’t sure what to expect – Canisius made the most sense, but I wasn’t sure how it would fit me and how I’d fit it.

To my surprise, choosing Canisius was perhaps the best decision I’ve made in my life, because here I have grown more and learned more than I would have thought possible. Time and time again, I’ve found myself telling people how much I love my school, and I feel so lucky to be able to say that. 

My first year, I wasn’t involved at all. I was just trying to get my feet wet in college, but wasn’t quite ready to dive all the way in. It wasn’t until later in my college career that I started to think ‘maybe I can do more,’ and that’s when – with much debate – I decided to apply to be an FYE peer mentor. As a second-semester freshman, I still felt too new – what would I have to offer incoming freshmen? After all, I was still figuring out the school for myself. But, despite my reservations, I applied and became a peer mentor the following fall, wading in a little deeper. 

After becoming a mentor, I started to join more clubs and organizations and become more involved, and this is when I truly found some of the most amazing people I think I’ll ever meet. As a commuter, my home isn’t on campus, but because of the people I’ve met, I’ve found little homes all over Canisius. 

For example, the Writing Center. When Dr. Stowe – who I had not yet met – emailed me about taking ENG 390, “Tutoring Writing,” to prepare me to be a tutor in the Writing Center, I turned it down. I didn’t feel ready to take on the responsibility of being a tutor; again, what did I have to offer? However, just a year later, as I was pondering becoming an English teacher, I decided to take the class. It was possibly the best decision I made in my college career, as I very quickly became close with the other students and now tutor in the Writing Center. All week, I look forward to my Wednesday mornings in the Writing Center, laughing and chatting with my friends. No matter what is going on in our lives, all the stress seems to melt away when I’m with the other tutors, and because of this, I’ve found that the Writing Center has healed me in a way I didn’t know I needed. 

The Griffin office has also become a home for me, as Thursday nights all the staff gathers and edits together, and there’s never a shortage of shenanigans to keep us entertained amidst removing Oxford commas (which I secretly love – don’t come for me). I’ve also met some amazing people through The Griffin and am so glad that I decided to take another leap of faith in applying to be a copy editor. 

Through my involvements, I have met incredible people, and in my classes, I have had the opportunity to expand my knowledge under the guidance of some of the most wonderful, passionate mentors. That’s another thing I’ve loved about Canisius – truly getting to know my professors and developing relationships with them, and realizing just how much they care about their students. 

As I prepare to graduate in less than a month, amidst the stress of completing my honors thesis and other papers, projects and assignments, I have found myself reflecting upon my time here with such gratitude. I am so grateful for the personal growth I’ve had and the relationships I have developed at Canisius, and I am endlessly thankful I can leave knowing that I have another home here. While I was scared to dip my feet in at first, I realized the water’s really nice, and there’s a big pool party a few steps in where all your friends are waiting to meet you – all it takes is a little leap of faith, so dive in.