It’s finally senior year for the class of 2027, a long-awaited moment for some and a bittersweet ending for others.
Senior year is for completing bucket lists, experiencing firsts and lasts, and reflecting on the hardships that made reaching this moment that much more meaningful.
Seton Hall’s mission of servant leadership has stayed at the forefront of many seniors' minds throughout their involvement in the tight-knit SHU community. As they begin their final year, each reflects on their growth and development in every aspect of their lives, and how the university has changed them for the better.
For Alex Desiderio, a senior secondary education major, the first day of senior year felt noticeably different from freshman year.
“I mainly just feel more confident today,” Desiderio said. “I'm not a freshman anymore, so I just know the drill by now.”
Ewa Pekala, a senior biology major, also noticed the difference between her freshman and senior years. While her freshman year was filled with anxiety, she said her senior year brings nothing but excitement.
As a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta Honor Society, Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity and the Peer Advisor program, Pekala has built a strong network throughout her time at SHU.
“I'm just very excited and looking forward to the first day because I want to see all my friends and I want to catch up with people,” Pekala said.
Other seniors, Joseph Gangi, a math and philosophy major, and Sander Dawson, a mathematical finance and philosophy major, shared similar sentiments about the familiarity of senior year.
For Dawson, the familiarity of campus was immediately apparent on the first day.
“I think we ran into seven people and it just became a congregation,” Dawson said. “It was like a group of people just stood in the middle of the green. Must have been like 15 of us eventually, and we were all just talking and catching up.”
Gangi said returning to campus as a senior has also given him the opportunity to recognize just how much he has changed since arriving at SHU.
“Now, as a senior, you think about how much you built, and how it is different each year, and just like how much you've learned, but also the experiences that come with it,” Gangi said.
Senior year is certainly full of excitement for many, but for some, the feeling of the year ending is already creeping in.
For Emmely Suarez, a senior criminal justice major, the beginning of senior year feels a little different.
“Seton Hall itself, I feel like, is such a welcoming environment, and that's what everyone here makes it out to be,” Suarez said. “So I'm really sad that that chapter is closing.”
Yet many seniors said this year is also full of opportunities to continue making a difference at SHU.
Gangi said he wants to continue being a leader and making a positive impact on students with the time he has left.
For Gangi, campus involvement has made his experience especially meaningful, giving him opportunities to serve and support his fellow students.Through his roles as a Peer Advisor, Tutor in Residence and member of Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, he has found ways to stay engaged and contribute to the campus community.
“I still have another year to make a positive impact here, and I think that's something that I'm really excited about,” Gangi said.
Similarly, Pekala noted her hopes of instilling confidence in her students.
“I'm a Peer Advisor,” she said, “so I hope to leave my last freshman class that I ever teach feeling ready.”
For Yeurys Medrano Tatis Jr., a senior psychology major, making the most of his college experience means appreciating the moment in front of him..
“I want to make sure I make the most of it,” Tatis said. “Take pictures, be grateful for every moment that I have and I endure, and just live in the moment and laugh.”
College has many ups and downs, and seniors reflected on how far they have come since beginning their college journeys.
“It seemed a lot scarier because it was new, but college is actually really fun,” Desiderio said.
For students like Riley Wintonick, a senior psychology and criminal justice major, coming to SHU as a legacy has impacted her far more than she expected.
“My mom went here, and now my brother's going here,” Wintonick said. “It’s definitely bittersweet because it was such a pivotal four years that fully shaped me as a person.”
Gangi said he was proud of the ways he’s gotten involved on campus over the past four years.
“As a freshman, I didn't see a point to other things, and now thinking about where I'm at right now, I'm so involved in so many different things that I'm passionate about, and I think that's what really makes college so special,” he said.
For some students, like Tatis, their experience at SHU has led them to make unexpected changes to their career paths.
“I switched my major sophomore year, and I am a psychology major now,” Tatis said. “I'm happier now more than ever.”
Similarly, Dawson said he found new interests within his field of study that he never thought would be on his radar.
“I started to explore philosophy and math, and I kind of expanded my horizons while I've been at Seton Hall, more than I even thought,” Dawson said.
SHU has allowed students to grow and change in many ways, and now, as the end approaches, there are still many items they have yet to check off their lists.
For Pekala, academics are definitely a priority while balancing enjoying her last year with friends.
“My biggest goal is to leave with a good GPA and to focus on my academics, but have fun at the end of the day,” Pekala said.
Suarez hopes to make the most of her remaining time before graduation, while continuing to step outside her comfort zone and try new things.
“Say yes to everything going on because it's the last time you'll ever be able to experience it,” Suarez said. “I actually found that I love Greek life, and I think there's such a unifying component of that, especially at Seton Hall.”
Most of all, these seniors reflected on their freshman year, offering a small piece of advice to their freshman selves.
“I wish I took more chances and went for more social and professional opportunities,” Pekala said.
Suarez noted the many struggles she faced throughout her college experience, as well as the skills she learned to bounce back and succeed.
“I wish I knew that it is okay to fail, and failing is not what you should really take into account or what you should remember,” Suarez said. “The whole story begins when you get back up and try again, and there will be failure; it's inevitable.”
Wintonick emphasized the importance of discomfort and how her SHU experience pushed her outside the comfort zone she grew up in.
“You need to let go of being comfortable to grow into something new, and leaving my hometown in high school and people I've gone to school with for years was so scary…I didn't want to leave that comfortable feeling, but it was definitely needed,” Wintonick said.
Each of these seniors' personal anecdotes is a reminder of how unifying and life-changing not only the college experience can be, but the SHU experience as a whole.
As the Class of 2027 begins their final year and prepares to bid farewell to SHU, these seniors embody selfless leadership and service-oriented involvement. Their experiences reflect the growth, challenges and memories that will shape them long after they leave the gates of campus.
Grace Tylee is the head editor of The Setonian’s Social Media. She can be reached at grace.tylee@student.shu.edu.
