The local breaking news of June 23rd, 2023, would forever change my course in life: Cabrini University would be closing its doors in May 2024. A place that I truly loved and called home. As a rising sophomore and fall athlete, and without a lot of time, I had a decision to make, to stay or leave.
That same day I began to research schools and contact soccer coaches to get the ball rolling. Finding a new school was certainly stressful and came with many challenges. The Cabrini-partner schools were not viable options for a variety of reasons and forced me to look elsewhere. I was asking potential schools if they would take my full financial aid package and offer a generous credit transfer.
I was in a strong spot academically after completing my freshman year at Cabrini. Of course, life is made up of many highs and lows, and even though my college career did not go according to plan, when it was time to look for a new school, I was even more confident in what I wanted the second time around - a small, Catholic college rich in tradition and strong faith.
Those characteristics support who I am, who I want to be, and how I plan to continue to model my life when I begin my future teaching career. Many schools were willing to entertain all of the transfer components but ultimately couldn’t check all of the boxes for me. However, Neumann was different.
I knew Neumann was a similar school to Cabrini (size, distance from home, etc.) and since I played against the soccer team, I knew some of the soccer guys as well as Coach Erik Temple. I cannot say enough about everyone I worked with at Neumann and all of those who helped me during the research and transfer process: admissions, financial aid, athletics, residence life, etc.
Every single encounter during such a stressful (and, for me, very sad) time was more caring and even better than the last. I feel confident that at Neumann I will continue to broaden my own values of faithfulness, service, and humility with others just as it was shown to me.
Ultimately, I decided to remain at Cabrini for the fall 2023 semester – most notably to play soccer with my teammates for the final season. Although I knew I would be transferring in the spring and that Neumann was going to be my new home.
I like to think I have begun to make my mark at Neumann, just as I did at Cabrini. In addition to continuing my role on SAAC (at both the National and campus levels), I have been very active in the NU Eagles Autism Foundation College Program and the various autism clinics. I also started my jobs in the tutoring center helping others with math as well as being one of the first friendly faces you see on campus as a Neumann Navigator.
I feel confident that as I progress through my studies with the end goal of remaining in the field of education, I will be prepared to extend the strong, supportive, and value-based environment that is the backbone of Neumann University.