Opinion | Dreaming of normal college experience

Kayleigh Shuman, incoming freshman health sciences major

Looking back to the beginning of my high school journey, I never would have thought I would end up attending Chapman University. 

I didn't know of Chapman at first, but am now so beyond glad that I discovered this amazing school through a private college counselor and friends. I always thought I wanted to go to a huge school, but as a senior, I realized I wanted a smaller one that has faculty who will focus on and care about every student. With the help of a college adviser, I found that Chapman was the place for me.

I am so excited to start the 2021-2022 school year and was pleased to find out that we will have in-person classes in the fall. I’ve enjoyed online classes, but being in this phase for over a year now has been hard because I am a very active person and would like to go out and be involved. I am a very strong student regardless, but I am more motivated when sitting at a desk in a classroom. COVID-19 has affected us all, and during my final year in high school, I practically missed out on a normal senior experience.

I lost a lot of opportunities such as dances, school events and cheering for football and basketball games, but what kept me going is staying active in my community. Having a job at Starbucks during the pandemic has been my greatest help because I’ve created connections with customers as well as my coworkers. I also joined my school’s Associated Student Body (ASB) this year, which has been a great program for me to be in because I have helped with different events that my school put on. Being involved in the community and my school has been something that I have always been passionate about ever since I could remember. 

I am involved in different clubs on campus, such as participating in my school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) and UNICEF chapters, which I am the president and founder of at my school. I did cheerleading all four years as well, being the junior varsity cheer captain my sophomore year. My school has opened back up for in-person learning, so having the opportunity to go to school twice a week has helped me be able to maintain a connection with my teachers and continue to stay active in the clubs I participate in. Being involved keeps me going and this is something I look forward to doing during my time at Chapman. 

Hearing about Chapman’s different clubs and involvement opportunities makes me so excited to start the year. I plan on doing cheerleading for Chapman and joining the Chabad club on campus, continuing to work at Starbucks, joining a sorority and spending a lot of time in the Cross-Cultural Center in hopes of meeting and learning about new people.

I cannot wait to start my time at Chapman in the fall and meet new people. I hope despite COVID-19, we are still allowed to attend on-campus activities and I get to have a pretty normal college experience, because this is what everyone dreams of. I know with Chapman, it is going to be amazing.