Senior advises freshmen to get involved

By Suzanne Guerin
Collegian Editor
August 30, 2006

Welcome, freshmen. I know that throughout Opening Weekend you’ve heard a lot about the 120 student organizations our La Salle community is so proud of, and I want to encourage you to get involved. It seems like yesterday I was begging my parents—literally begging, you can ask my mom—to pack the car back up and take me home to New Jersey.

Now, I’m going to tell you something I was positive that I would never say: welcome to La Salle, a place I’m proud to call my own. Three years ago, slowly, I stepped out of my room on the third floor of St. Jerome and into the La Salle community. It was taking that chance, becoming an active member of the La Salle family that has made me feel that this place in Philadelphia is my home away from home.

The second week of school, I hesitantly stepped into the Collegian’s hidden offices in the basement of the Union and broke out my red pen to begin copyediting; three years later, it’s another Tuesday night and I’m still here.

And on a Sunday not long after that, I became a Eucharistic Minister in the De La Salle Chapel. This year, there is a new Campus Ministry Executive Board that has reminded me, again, not to be afraid to try new things and that change doesn’t have to be bad.

Sophomore year I started volunteering for LOCK, one of the many FOCUS organizations that strives to make a difference on both our campus and in the greater Lasallian community. FOCUS has given me the chance to meet other similarly minded people and to serve others.

Junior year I was persuaded by a friend to become an Affiliate of the Students’ Government Association, and even then I was sure that this would be a short-term commitment. A year later, I’ve become the Chief of Staff, had the chance to learn about the University’s structure, have been able to develop many organizational skills and, most importantly, found a lot of good friends there.

I know it sounds like a cliché, and I’m sure you’ve all been inundated by people telling you to join an on-campus organization, but do it. Don’t feel as though you have to pick just one organization or that junior or senior year is too late to become involved in an activity. Take a chance. I was convinced not long ago that La Salle could never be my home, and now I’m sure that I can help make it ours. Branching out has allowed me to figure out who I am now and who I’m striving to be in the future. Similarly, it’s been becoming an active member of the community that has allowed me to foster relationships with other students, faculty and staff. It’s the Lasallian family here that has made my transition a good experience.

Come visit the SGA office in the Union, campus ministry in the basement of College Hall, FOCUS on the second floor of Benilde or wander down to the basement of the Student Union to the secluded offices of the Collegian—I promise you’ll find someone who’s happy to be there.

guerins1@lasalle.edu