To see something through rose-colored glasses is to see only pleasant things about that something, in the case of Iona I’d say as I’m reflecting on my college experience, I am taking off my maroon-colored glasses to give myself a real reflection on how college went. 

I went into college thinking highly of the idea and environment and was excited to find a place where I could grow as a person with the resources provided to me during my four-year journey. 

Ultimately, college felt like a rerun of high school at certain times, an awkward, uncomfortable environment filled with social groups and clicks that made socializing a pain, and at first that revelation bothered me, but it pushed me to focus more on career building, networking and internship opportunities as opposed to friendships and I don’t regret any of it. 

Iona helped me grow into a person I didn’t know I could be, it helped me become a confident public speaker, and communications specialist and a considerably much better journalist as my time working for the Ionian showcases. I was able to increase my knowledge of many different subjects and learned to grow and despise certain subjects but retained all the information that interested me. 

I formed valuable connections with many professors on campus and was a highlight of my time attending each semester. I learned some important life lessons and received impactful pieces of advice I will carry with me forever and received the academic support I needed to achieve some personal goals of mine.  

I flew very much under the radar in the social scene at Iona, but with retrospect in mind I preferred being unknown because I was able to focus on myself and not be consumed by what others thought of me or my impact in a social group. The Ionian became my social group and truth be told they were all I needed and allowed me to be in a space where I felt heard, understood and welcomed. 

I rose through the ranks of the Ionian and became the Editor-in-Chief in time for my last semester and although the position presented its own set of stressful moments, I am proud of my hard work, my colleagues from the paper and my achievements with the paper and college as a whole.  

The Iona experience was a draining, stressful, overwhelming experience but it molded me into an educated, strong-willed individual with a strong passion to shoot for the stars and give the future everything I got.  

Some advice I’d share with anyone going into college is to enjoy the ride, do what makes you happy and just have fun with it.