My WooState Story: Commuter to Community
At Worcester State, I became part of something greater.
Looking back on my time at Worcester State, I think of all of the fond memories that I made. My mind floods with images of the Student Center buzzing with activity on a typical autumn day or of the studious silence enjoyed on the third floor of the Learning Resource Center. Though they may have been simple, I wish that I realized sooner how impactful those moments and countless others really were.
I transferred to Worcester State after a lukewarm experience studying at a small college near Syracuse, New York. The New York school itself was fine, and I had a strong network of friends in my freshman year, but my time there was largely soured by the social restrictions imposed due to the pandemic that raged on. Admittedly, I also missed being home.
When I moved home to Oxford and started classes on Chandler Street the next fall, I felt indifferent about college. As a commuter student, I usually just drove to campus, attended my classes, then drove home as quickly as possible, except for the occasional lunch at the dining hall. Apart from my coursework, I was a passive member of the community. That was all I wanted from college for about a year and a half.
Things started to change during my junior year. I struck up conversations with my classmates and professors and maintained those connections beyond the classroom. On-campus events, initially an irrelevant part of student life to me, became something that I actually tried to attend. For the first time since becoming a Lancer, I came out of my shell and took risks, both academically and socially.
The more I opened up, the more I realized that I was not alone in my original sentiments about college. I found kindred spirits in other commuter students who shared the experiences that I had, yet managed to become a part of something greater on campus. This inspired me to make the most of my final few semesters at Worcester State.
I applied for a writing internship in the university’s Communications and Marketing Office and landed what turned out to be the most rewarding job I have ever had. As a correspondent for Worcester State news publications, I saw more of the campus than I had in my sophomore and junior years combined. My assignments took me to events that I otherwise never would have attended and introduced me to many of the brilliant minds that make up the Worcester State community. Through this work, I developed a new appreciation for a place that I had spent so much time at, yet knew so little about.
A class trip to Ireland during my final spring break was something that my sophomore-year self never would have envisioned, but when I saw that one of my favorite professors, Dan Hunt, was leading it, I placed my deposit as soon as possible. Seeing Ireland introduced me to an entirely new and exciting culture. I shared this journey with 18 classmates from our course, Ireland in Image and Text, and I now consider those classmates to be friends. It was the perfect ending to a year where I seized every opportunity that was presented to me.
I see how I’ve grown from an indifferent commuter student to an engaged member of the Worcester State community. From observing a historic total solar eclipse on a trip to Vermont led by Professor Andrew Burkhardt, to exploring centuries-old streets abroad with my classmates, to riding around campus in a Kubota with Facilities Assistant Vice President Sandra Olson, Worcester State has provided me with more memories and opportunities than I ever would have expected.
Top image: Paul Davey ’24 takes in the wonder of The Burren in County Clare, Ireland, as part of a university trip during spring break 2024. Courtesy Paul Davey.
