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.