ON YOUR FLOOR…
If your Messina isn’t exactly the
group you were looking for,
which in some cases that may
be, you can explore other op-
tions to find friends. Your floor in
your residential building is the
perfect place to meet new peo-
ple. All it takes is working up the
courage to walk up to a door
and knock. I struggled a lot my
first couple of days on campus,
worried that I was going to be left
alone with no more than the two
friends I had already made. It
wasn’t realistic to believe that
ADVICE
You’ve Got a Friend in Me By Jason Arthur
THE FEAR OF LEAVING HOME
The thought of leaving home
can be horrifying. Leaving be-
hind everything we know: our
homes, our friends, our fami-
lies. We worry about starting a
new chapter of our lives, full of
new people in a new place.
Going to college has become
a routine part of a millennial’s
life, picking up and moving to
a place that is foreign to us in
order to further our education.
The ability to build relation-
ships with your fellow class-
mates is a vital part of adjust-
ing to our newly uprooted
lives, without doing so we will
find it much more difficult to
feel at home.
MESSINA: FORCED FIRST FRIENDS
Loyola University Maryland is a
major supporter of helping its new
students adjust to their new lives.
With the Messina program, first-
year students are paired with an
upperclassman, two professors,
and a group of students who they
will share the year alongside in
two separate classes based on
their interests. This group will intro-
duce you to your very first friends
on campus, throwing you all to-
gether on the very first day of Fall
Welcome Weekend. Becca Ar-
mandi (‘22) agrees, stating, “I’m
so thankful for our Messina. It’s like
having a group of built in friends!”
You will spend every waking mo-
ment with your Messina your first
five days on campus, participat-
ing in discussions, eating meals
and just getting to know each
other. I lucked out, being paired
with a terrific group of individuals
from all different backgrounds
and places. Everyone is incredible
in their own way and the group as
a whole has made a solid con-
nection. The first two people I met
on campus, my best friends on
campus, are two girls in my Messi-
na. Becca Armandi and Sadie
Durham have been there for me
from the very start of my journey
here on campus. We all came to
Loyola for different reasons but
we’ve become connected and I
know that their friendship will be
with me for a long time. We are in
constant contact: walking to and
from class together every day and
setting aside time to eat lunch as
a group whether it be just to chit
chat or discuss something more
serious. I may not have known
these girls very long but because
of Messina I feel as if I’ve known
them for a lifetime. Your Messina
will become your lifeline. They will
be there for you whenever you
need it. Your Evergreen, advisor,
or any other first-year in the group
will gladly meet with you at any
time if you’re feeling homesick,
having a problem or simply want
to talk. We are just a text or email
away. Messina is a team—we stick
together and we have each oth-
ers backs.
“I’m so happy I made
friends on my floor. It
makes for a great
support system without
having to leave my
building!” ~Sadie
Becca, Sadie and I in our Messina
class.
Depending on where you’re from,
there could be either a very large
or very small chance that you’re
attending school with people from
your hometown. If you manage to
be as lucky as I am, you’ll be at
college with your very best friend.
Nikki Wieman, my childhood best
friend, my ray of sunshine, my per-
son, introduced me to Loyola. I
originally only applied to appease
her, hearing her ramble on about
how perfect this school was. I had
no intentions of going here, my
heart belonged to Emerson Col-
lege in Boston. One day in my sen-
ior year, I received an email notify-
ing me of accepted students day
in March. I had yet to visit a school
and saw no harm in just checking
out the place. As soon as I
stepped foot on campus, I knew
that Loyola would be where I was
spending my next four years.
Months passed and I finally arrived
to my new home on August 30th. I
was overwhelmed, I was lonely, I
wanted to leave right away. I
texted Nikki on my second night,
asking if I could come to her room
to talk. She responded immediate-
ly and I made the trip one floor
down to go see her. I broke down,
I told her my fears and told her
how badly I wanted to quit but
didn’t want to disappoint anyone
at home. She sat me down and
said all the right things to me; she
created a safe space where I
could feel at home away from
home. Nikki was my home away
from home. She helped me to re-
alize that Loyola was not only my
college but my home. She shared
her experiences and her thoughts
have resonated with me since.
She explained, “I wanted Loyola
to be my home so I made my
friends my family. These are the
people you live, sleep, talk and
eat with. You’re all experiencing
similar things, no one will under-
stand better than your peers.”
Without her words that night, I
would’ve left Loyola. I would’ve
lost the chance at so many differ-
ent opportunities that Loyola has
presented me in my time here. I
will never be able to thank her
enough for what she has done
and will continue to do for me
throughout my life. If you’re able
to build a home away from home
within a person, take that relation-
ship and hold onto it as tightly as
you possibly can. It could be your
saving grace.
HOMETOWN IN YOUR NEW HOME
The Humanities Building, part of your new home.
we’d be spending every moment
of every day together. I needed
to extend my circle just like they
were. I finally worked up the
courage to at least try. I walked
down my hallway, took a deep
breath, and knocked on the
door of room 510 in Campion
Tower. The door swung open and
I was greeted with open arms by
my current friends, Josie Munoz
Nogales, Lisa Martin, Vanessa
Salemi and Nicole Fina. They
were relieved to see a fresh face
coming up to their door and I
was welcomed in. Instantly, we
built a connection. It is that sim-
ple to meet people. These four
girls have been a blessing and I
am beyond grateful that I was
able to work up the courage to
just knock on their door. We
spend a huge portion of our free
time together: watching movies,
throwing dance parties in the
living room, exploring Baltimore,
baking and eating so many dif-
ferent desserts. I couldn’t picture
my life at school without these
girls by my side. They are four
people that I miss when I go
home, that I don’t mind seeing
me at my worst because I know
they’ll accept me for who I am.
Find people that will always see
the best in you, no matter what.
Nikki and I back in high school.
The relationships you build at school
are everything. If I had not built the
relationships within my Messina, within
my hallway, within my hometown, I
wouldn’t still be at Loyola. These
bonds you create can make or break
your experience away from home.
Grace Baltimore, class of 2021, says it
perfectly, “You won’t make your best
friends during the first week of col-
lege, and that’s okay! It takes time.
Once you find the right people, peo-
ple who share the same values as
you, you’ll be so glad you waited. All
good things take time. Just remember
to be your authentic self, and never
change for anyone!” Don’t be afraid
to take a risk on people—you never
know how they may impact your life.
The friends you make here can last a
lifetime. I wouldn’t trade my experi-
ences, my friends, or the path it took
me to get to this point for the world.
It’s okay to be fearful at first, but al-
ways stay true to you and make the
effort to create the best possible out-
come for yourself.
BUILDING THE COURAGE TO TRY
The skyline in your new home: Baltimore.