As I approached Newton Lecture Hall for my first day of classes as a freshman at Geneseo, I would have never imagined this is where I would be now. Coming into this competitive school, I had the high hopes of becoming a physical therapist. So, like most, I registered as a biology major. Along with the time commitment as a biology major, I was trying out for the intercollegiate softball team. Having played softball since the age of 6, there was no way I was ending my career after high school.
Joining a team as rookie with 16 other girls was nerve-wracking to say the least. I had to go out there and prove myself to my coach and teammates. I quickly learned what the Geneseo program was all about and the commitment it takes to belong to this team. Looking back now, I am proud of each and every one of the student-athletes that come through Geneseo. The time commitment, dedication and hard work you must have to play a sport and succeed in academics are enormous feats.
As I reached the end of my fall ball experience and made the team, I had to focus on the academics portion. Through the course of just one semester I, like many of my other biology classmates, were in search of finding that perfect major. The overwhelming lectures and feeling as though the professors saw you as a “G number” was very discouraging.
Then one day at practice, an upperclassman on the team told me to look at the speech pathology program. This teammate provided me directions to the office and names of the secretary and department chair and sent me on my way. I was immediately welcomed into the program, so much so that within my first meeting with the head of the department, my entire undergrad coursework was outlined for me. I could literally see my future written out right in front of me.
In a way, being a member of the softball team led me to find my fit here at Geneseo academically. I immediately felt the closeness within the speech program and knew this was exactly where I wanted to be. The professors knew you and you knew them. I was a student and not just a number in a class. The professors cared about their students’ success and always had an open door to provide extra help or to just talk. I know everybody graduating from Geneseo’s speech pathology program will become some of the best professionals and we owe it to our wonderful professors here. I really cannot express just how thankful I feel to have been able to learn from these wonderful individuals.
In a blink of an eye, it seems, I’m a freshman going into my first try-out, and suddenly, I’m standing on Vic Raschi Softball Field for the last time. It doesn’t even seem possible that I can be at the end of my Geneseo career. I feel as though I just started and that there are so many more things to experience.
Being a member of the Geneseo intercollegiate softball team has taught me countless lessons, given me a lifetime of unbelievable friends and shaped me into the person I am today. Softball has always been my outlet. Every day I had the opportunity to play the game I love for a team I love. How many people can say that?
I have grown so much as an individual in just four short years here at Geneseo. Words cannot even begin to describe how lucky I feel to have met the people I met, the experiences I have made and the memories I will never forget. Wherever life takes me, Geneseo will always be my foundation. Although the Geneseo sun is setting for the class of 2013 now, when we look back we will always know it was beautiful.