|
 |
GaGa Team IV
 Elizabeth Storti
Hi my name is Elizabeth Storti and I am a senior business major at the University of New Hampshire . College has been one of the best experiences of my life. At first I was weary about going to college because I thought it would be a lot like high school. However, once I arrived on campus I realized that was not the case. There are so many opportunities while at college such as joining clubs and playing intramural sports. It’s not always just about the school work, but also about all the exciting extra curricular activities. I even jumped at the opportunity to study abroad in Italy for 4 months. My time at UNH has been amazing and I can’t believe that it is coming to an end. Even though I’m going to miss college tremendously, I’m excited to get out into the real world and see all the opportunities that going to college have created for me.
 Adrienne Dion
Hey guys! My name is Adrienne Dion and I’m a senior at the University of New Hampshire majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. It seems like just a year ago that I was a senior in high school and was worried sick about if any college out there wanted to accept me. I was petrified of the thought of college. I didn’t want to leave my friends, my house, my family, my town- I didn’t want go. I was sick just thinking about classes, making new friends, being alone, living in an unfamiliar place and being away from home. And I’m not going to lie, it’s scary. But now, 4 years later I’m 7 months away from graduation and have the best of group of friends with enough memories to write a novel. If I decided to stay at home with my family and friends I would never have made the friends I have now, the education that’s opened so many doors and possibilities, and the memories that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. College has not only given me great friends and memories but most importantly the education and opportunity to live my life to the absolute fullest. So my advice, go to college. Don’t miss out on something that has the potential to change your life forever and in so many ways. It changed mine =)
 Kelliann Boyd
Neither of my parents went to college, so I always figured they wouldn’t force me to. I knew it was my own choice, and an extremely important one at that. I constantly was thinking to myself, what kind of a job could I get nowadays without a college education? I couldn’t come up with much. Not that I hadn’t known all along, but I knew the right thing was to go to college.
I had always wanted to get out of New Hampshire, and go somewhere new. I took advantage of that my attending school in Tennessee. God was that scary! I didn’t know a single person, and I was all alone, thousands of miles away from everything I had ever known or felt comfortable with. It took me a few weeks to get adjusted to it all, but it turns out I absolutely loved my experience in college. I enjoyed planning my own school schedule, meeting up with friends for dinner, staying out late, taking part in school activities, and most of all being given the chance to be on my own.
College really did change me. I grew up more than I ever thought I would. It was an amazing experience, and one that I look back on with only the best memories. I did decide to finish my last year of college back here in New Hampshire. Home will always be home, no matter how long you’ve been gone, and that’s a good feeling.
 Sandra Billodeau
I went through high-school knowing that I would eventually be attending college but I had no idea where to begin. I knew that my parents would not be paying for college which made me hesitant to even start looking. I realized that there were so many questions to answer and so many decisions to make, what if I made the wrong one? What if I thought I wanted to move far away and then I didn’t like it? College is much more flexible then high school and it offers many more choices that will fit my wants and needs as an individual. If I should make a decision and then change my mind there are other college institutions that might fit my needs better. I made the decision to go to a university that wasn’t very close to home and it didn’t take me long to realize that I wanted to be closer to my family. I tested out the school for a semester and then transferred my freshman year to the UNH. It took me a little while to find exactly what I wanted but looking back on my college experience it has been the best years of my life. I’ve had the opportunity to take courses based on what I want to learn, I’ve made some of the most amazing friends and made so many memories with them that I’ll remember for the rest of my life and now I have the opportunity to have a career that I actually enjoy and making money to do something I love. I’m so glad that I made the decision to go to school, no matter what the cost, it was worth every penny.
 Erica Travelyn
Hi! My name is Erica Travelyn and I am a senior at the University of New Hampshire. It seems like only yesterday I was a high school student meeting with my guidance counselor trying to figure out if I was going to further my education and go to college. I knew college was something I wanted to attend, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in, or if I could afford it. Let me say, the decision to apply to college was the best decision of my life. College has been the most memorable experience I could ask for. Yes it is a lot of work, but it is worth every second of it. I have made such amazing relationships with so many people. I also have become involved in organizations and clubs that I never would have thought about doing in high school. Above all that I have an education that has prepared me for the real world! I have no regrets about going to college, only positive experience that has made me who I am today.
 Chris LaHaise
My name is Chris LaHaise, right now I am working on finishing up my time at UNH. It’s impossible to think that it was over 4 years ago that I started looking at what colleges I should apply to after high school. I always had it in my mind that I would go to college, the question I had to answer was where and why. Today I know that the decision to continue my education was the best choice I have ever made, but back in my junior year of high school you couldn’t pay me to start looking at schools. I just didn’t want to ‘waste’ my time going all over visiting campuses. I had seen a few schools and pretty much made my decision on where I was going to go, and the funny thing is, UNH had never even crossed my mind at that point. I am from New York so UNH never showed up on my radar until I came out to Durham for a visit with a friend with the sole intention of appeasing my parent’s wishes for me to see more schools. Accepting UNH was a last minute decision, and it all turned out great for me in the end, but the point is that it’s never too soon to start the search. If there is one piece of advice I could give to high school students it would be to seriously consider the college experience, and not to shut out any possibilities, you never know what you might find.
 Peter Spiak
Hey my name is Pete Spiak and I am a senior here at the University of New Hampshire. I knew from the start of high school that I wanted to continue my education, but high school definitely wasn’t easy for me. I had my ups and downs and luckily my parents were there to help guide me. Once at UNH I really buckled down and started taking school seriously. When I got to school I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to study but quickly decided on business. The college experience is not one I would trade for anything. You’ll learn a lot about yourself and others all while preparing yourself for a better future.
Travis King
Hi Guys! My name is Travis, and I am a senior at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics here at the University of New Hampshire. I am dual majoring in Entrepreneurial Venture Creation and Marketing, and I will begin working for one of the largest banks in the nation when I graduate in December.
After high school, I was unsure if I wanted to go to college or not. My family owns a car dealership, and I was thinking that I was going to work for them when I graduated. After several sleepless nights, I decided that I would try and go to college in hopes of creating a better and brighter future.
I actually did not start my college career at the University of New Hampshire. I was originally a full time student at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. I loved the school, but I quickly found out that there was no way I could afford going to a private out of state college like Bentley. After hearing what a great time my friends were having at UNH, I decided to transfer. I have been here for three and a half years, and let me tell you, it has flown by!
Looking back at my decision, I can honestly say it was the best move I could have made. The school is great! I am having so much fun! College has so much to offer, and believe me there is a lot more to college than classes. I can’t believe that my career as a student is almost over. This has been the quickest four years of my life. I have made so many friends, and have had such a great time. I am so glad I stayed in school!
 Stephanie Bottari
Hi, my name is Stephanie and I am a senior at the University of New Hampshire. I am a business major with a concentration in marketing and management. I can’t believe how fast the past four years have gone by and that I will be graduating in May. I can remember being a senior in high school like it was yesterday! I always knew that I wanted to go to college right after high school so the question for me senior year was where was I going to go? If you asked me at the beginning of my senior year I would have said as far away from home as possible! Being from Massachusetts, I was convinced that I wanted to go to school down south and that New England had nothing to offer me. However, after touring UNH I immediately fell in love with the campus and the atmosphere of the university and knew that this was where I wanted to spend the next four years. My experience at UNH has been nothing short of amazing. Not only have I had great opportunities academically, but I have also met some of my best friends and have had memorable experiences that I will never forget. As sad as I am to leave here in May I am confident that college has prepared me to be successful in the future. I have no regrets about my decision to go to college, and I hope that you take advantage the opportunities college has to offer and don’t miss out!
 Pat Fessenden
Hi, my name is Pat Fessenden and I grew up in Central NH near Lake Winnipesaukee. During high school I could never wait until the end of the day. When that bell rang I was out of there and off to put something together or take something apart. I worked at an auto body shop fixing cars for a few years of high school while running a small business selling firewood that I started up at a young age. Yes, my life sounds busy, but my hard work has easily put me through college. Working hard at a young age made me think hard about going to college. College was the easy way out for me. When I graduate at the end of the year with a degree in business, I’m confident that I will get a job that is not labor intensive, and will be able to support my lifestyle. I am also confident that I won’t meet many more friends as loyal and as close as those that I have at UNH.
 Meagan Inman
While I was in high school I always planned to go to college, but I was not sure how to go about it. Neither of my parents had gone to college, so they were not a lot of help. I had no idea where I was going to go, or how I was going to get there. I also had to figure out how I could afford college. I did not have a college fund, so it was going to be my responsibility to find the money to go. I found out that the college will help you find the student loans, financial aid, and scholarships that you will need. I discovered that there is always a way to get money for school, even if your parents can’t help you.
I was not the best student while I was in high school, so not all the doors to college were open for me. While I was in high school I always got okay grades, but I was by no means an academic scholar. This made it more difficult for me to find a college that I wanted to go to, that would accept me. I ended up not getting into the schools that I wanted to, so I spent my first year of college working really hard and getting good grades so I could transfer to a school that I wanted to go to. This worked out for me; I am now in my senior year as a business major at UNH. The last four years I have worked hard, but I have also had a lot of fun. |
