October 10th, 2015 | Uncategorized
Growing up, I always envisioned what college I would end up going to. Regardless of the name of the school, I wanted to end up somewhere with a stereotypical college campus. Lots of green grass, individual buildings all within walking distance of each other, pretty architecture, all in an enclosed campus. The funny thing is, I ended up in the complete opposite.
St. Francis College is a school of a little less than 3,000 students located in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, New York. It did not have any of the characteristics I mentioned above. The way I like to describe it, St. Francis College’s campus goes up, instead of out. Located in one central building, everything you need is found in one tall, large building. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my four years at St. Francis, and wouldn’t change them for the world! My campus experience was unique; it belonged to one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world, New York City. How awesome is that?
Lucky for me though, I have the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds. Thanks to Sport Changes Life and the University of Limerick, I am able to live out my childhood dream of going to a college with a typical college campus. What appeals to me most is the vast campus, filled with beautiful, modern buildings. It is your picture perfect image of what a college campus would look like. Even today, being five weeks into my program, I still catch myself looking at the buildings and nature as I walk by realizing how phenomenal this campus really is. Every day I am lucky enough to walk a bridge over the River Shannon, where I see the most amazing sunsets (as long as it’s not raining of course). The best part is, right outside of the campus limits are fields filled with cows! That’s definitely something I would never see in Brooklyn.
Never would I have thought that I would be fortunate enough to study at multiple universities varying so dramatically. My walk to class went from walking by tall city buildings to vast green landscapes. I went from being part of a 3,000-student body population to 17,000. I truly did a 180-degree change from my undergraduate school to my postgraduate school. Regardless of the characteristics, I have fallen in love with these universities, and am so proud to affiliate myself with both.
I have been beyond blessed to study and experience both universities, and I would like to thank everyone who has made these opportunities possible!
Victory Scholar: Sarah Benedetti
Present University: University of Limerick
US League: NEC
Club/Community Partner: UL Huskies
Alma Mater: St. Francis College
Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland