“Do you feel like a Gael?”

I recently visited my boyfriend in Boston where he goes to school at Northeastern University. We were walking to the train station when he asked, “Do you feel like a Gael?”

I was pretty taken aback by the question. My response at the time was a profound “I guess.” I didn’t know what to make of the question at first. I go to Iona, so I guess I feel like a Gael. But with only 85 days until graduation (yikes), I wanted to think more deeply about his question.

I transfered to Iona in 2016 for my junior year. I had attended the University of Delaware my freshman year, decided to leave and got my Associate’s Degree the following year at the community college near my home in Rockland County, New York. So I’ve been a Fightin’ Blue Hen at UD, a Hawk at Rockland Community College and now a Gael at Iona.

Me (on the right) with two of my friends freshman year at UD.

I figured my answer to this question would have a lot to do with the amount of school spirit I feel at Iona. I have always associated school spirit with athletics. In high school, I played on successful teams, attended games to watch my friends and peers play, and had tons of school spirit. However, I’ve stopped playing sports and unfortunately haven’t been to too many Iona athletic events.

The one difference between my present self and my high school self is that I am currently much more invested in my academics. I write for The Ionian and enjoy studying within the Mass Comm field. So while I am not getting on a bus and painting my face to cheer on the Gaels in the NCAA tournament, I do feel a lot of pride for the work I have done during my time at Iona, and for the work that Iona does for it’s students and community. I am thankful for the relationships I have made with other students and professors.

Dr. Kelso and I at the Mass Comm Honors Society induction.

I’ve been able to pursue my love for sports within the field of mass communications. I was lucky enough to take a sports writing class in which we attended a Mets game, the U.S. Open, a Bridgeport Bluefish (minor league baseball) game, a Fordham University football game, as well as Iona soccer, water polo and basketball games.

My sports writing class at Citi Field covering a Mets game.

So while Iona is the third college I’ve been to, it’s the one that I will identify with the most. Not because it’s the school I will be graduating from, but because it’s where I found a niche where I feel like I belong. I have discovered interests and skills of mine that I wouldn’t have otherwise, and I have been able (and encouraged) to explore these interests and skills while at Iona.

#GoGaels #Classof2018