The Charger Blog

Charger Blogger writes an open letter to University of New Haven First-Year Students

Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 encourages the newest Chargers to reflect on what they want to take from their college experience, focus on personal growth, and embrace who they want to become.

September 16, 2024

By Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26

From awkward intros to group hangouts in record time. Freshmen year = unlocked
From awkward intros to group hangouts in record time. Freshmen year = unlocked

Dear First-Year Chargers,

To preface: this is not my best writing, but thatӰԭs not the point. The point is to get you thinking, and to remind my own self of why I became the person I am today. Grab some water, a snack, and maybe even a notebook; itӰԭs time for some reflection.

Have any of you ever watched the movie ӰԭSoulӰԭ? ItӰԭs an animated movie produced by Pixar, and itӰԭs one of those movies that makes you rethink your life a little bit. Essentially, you follow the life of Joe Ӱԭ your basic music teacher who dreams of becoming a ӰԭtrueӰԭ jazz musician outside of the grimy brick walls of the band room. ItӰԭs a pretty stereotypical plot, but as the movie proceeds, one finds life being put into an entirely new perspective.

Or, rather, 7.951 billion.

There are 7.951 billion human perspectives Ӱԭ people Ӱԭ on Earth. Someone wakes up to their shack-like apartment in New York City, and another rolls up in the newest model of Ferrari (itӰԭs their third one, too). Your professor bites into their bagel, doing their best to filter through the horrific onslaught of student emails, and you stare into the endless mass of homework on your Canvas feed.

(Author, at 3AM and squinting at her microbiology module: ӰԭWhat is going on? What is this? What????? Dude, bro.Ӱԭ)

Studying, but still trying to figure out life
Studying, but still trying to figure out life

We perceive the world so differently from one another. Someone picks a loaf of gluten-free bread off the shelf because they have Celiac disease, or a surgeon swears, whisking the scalpel away as they try to repair their mistake. IӰԭm in the ambulance at 4 AM, blinking into a dark parking lot, and another person halfway across the world snacks on their favorite food, watching the ducks.

College will ask you many questions, and not all of them will be the ones your professor hands out to you. Sometimes, you will debate whether or not you can get to class because youӰԭre sick. Other times, youӰԭll just debate if itӰԭs actually worth it (I promise that it is). You will ask ӰԭdumbӰԭ questions, and perhaps youӰԭll get a ӰԭdumbӰԭ answer in return. Life is funny like that.

Then, there are the questions that youӰԭll ask yourself. Why am I doing this? How am I supposed to do this? Should I Ӱԭ can I Ӱԭ ask for help? What can I do to control this? There are so many questions, thoughts, ideas, and blurbs that your mind will throw at you, but the one that I really want you to think about is:

Who do you want to be?

ӰԭWho.Ӱԭ Not Ӱԭwhat.Ӱԭ ӰԭWhatӰԭ Ӱԭ itӰԭs too much of an objective word for my taste, and often does not focus on the inner journey one goes through during their college experience. ӰԭWhatӰԭ you want to be could be anything, but ӰԭwhoӰԭ comes down to your soul, your heart, and what you decide to cultivate as your human experience. Typically, IӰԭd start by asking yourself what qualities you want to display to the world around you (i.e. kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness, etc.) and you can build off those. I know this may be a little bit confusing to understand Ӱԭ IӰԭm definitely a bit of a philosophy person, lol Ӱԭ but give it time, and I think youӰԭll be able to get it down.

I know that being a first-year student can be a scary thing, but, trust me, itӰԭll get better. You make life your own, and youӰԭre not working for people. YouӰԭre working for yourself. All of this is for you! All those decisions you made? The mistakes and your fears?

To anyone debating their major, weigh the pros and cons of it and make a decision at one point or another. Yes, you have your whole life, but what do you define as life in the first place? What is life if itӰԭs not just a series of actions after the next, and love smeared across all of it like some weird PB&J?

I guess what IӰԭm getting at is: Do what you love. DonӰԭt get too caught up in what other people are doing (though itӰԭs quite hard not to, especially if youӰԭre in a competitive program), and just focus on what you want to be doing with your life.

Mood: Fall leaves, big dreams, and a syllabus IӰԭll totally get to later
Mood: Fall leaves, big dreams, and a syllabus IӰԭll totally get to later

Do that, and you will find that everything will work out in ways youӰԭd never believe. I promise. Passion leads to love which leads to want. You can have anything you want, but you have to be able to accept that in its entirety.

So: who do you want to be?

As cryptic as this article sounds, I hope that one day youӰԭll be able to look back and say to yourself:

ӰԭWow, maybe sheӰԭs not absolutely nuts.Ӱԭ

Allow yourself to explore, to have trial and error, and to fail. You will only learn by doing, and I strongly recommend that you use your first year as a learning period. Get curious, ask questions, and stay true to yourself in every way. I will be publishing a ӰԭFirst-Year Student Field GuideӰԭ at one point or another, so stay tuned for that as well.

I wish everyone a great week, and to keep cozy! Fall is definitely on the way, and the Celantano-Bixler wind tunnel of certain doom will manifest... eventually. Take care ❤️

With peace, love, and peanut butter,
Bea ☺️