My time at Mercy College is coming to an end. I thought I was really going to be excited to finally finish school and go out into the real world, but truthfully, it scares the hell out of me.

School might be a drag at times, but it’s for my own benefit. I did not expect much going into Mercy because I felt like I wasn’t going to get the full college experience – the “going away” experience that includes living on your own, going out every night, and not having to answer to your parents when you want to go somewhere. Mercy to me, at first, seemed like another four years of high school. What was really going to change for me?

I would still be living at home, commuting to class, and then coming home when it was done. One thing that was different was that I wasn’t able to see my friends every day like I used to. Everyone went to a different school and was busy with their own work. The thought of not seeing my friends made me upset, but when I got to Mercy I realized there were some really great people there.

One person that I met at Mercy who really helped me to make the most of my college experience was my buddy, Ellis. Ellis is as good a man as one can be. He’s a nice guy and he’s into a lot of the same stuff as me. The main thing we bond over is sports. We can talk about sports all day and it’s always a good conversation. We made a podcast together and have just enjoyed hanging out and eating. He’s a friendly face and he’s there any and every time I need him. Mercy College might not be the perfect school, but it led me to someone I will call my friend for the rest of my life.

Over the years here at Mercy, I have met a lot of good people, but the main thing I wanted to accomplish was to find something that gave my life meaning. There have been things in life that I’ve enjoyed, but not many that I could see myself doing as a career. The classes I took at Mercy were interesting, but not many appealed to me in that special way. Then I joined The Impact and everything changed.

The Impact isn’t a class or a club, it’s a family. The people I have met while writing for the newspaper are some of the most talented people I’ll ever meet. They have such creative minds and are skilled writers overall. The people in The Impact not only care about their own writing, but they want to help you. Sometimes if a staff member comes across a story idea that they think will be good for someone else, they will share the idea that person. Everyone who writes for the paper looks out for each other and it’s really beautiful to be a part of.

The man that makes this all happen is Michael Perrota. If it wasn’t for this guy, I wouldn’t ever have discovered just how much I like to write. He encouraged me to join The Impact and just give it a shot. I listened to him and went on to write many articles here at Mercy College. Every article I have ever written, I’ve enjoyed doing so very much. The Impact offers its staff the opportunity to write about anything that they want, which is a great thing to take advantage of. Every single year, our award-winning writers help to make The Impact the success that it is. Perrota doesn’t ever let these achievements go unnoticed and he is always right there congratulating us. He has been more than a teacher to me and the rest of the staff. If you have the opportunity to interact with him, pay attention to everything he says.

I would like to be able to say that writing this has been a joyful experience, but I would be lying. I’m sad that I can no longer share the classroom with my fellow writers anymore due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). As a senior, my time writing for this great publication is coming to an end. Even though I only have a few articles left to write, I know this is only the beginning of my writing career.

I have fears that I won’t be good enough to have a career in this field. I often get anxiety that it won’t work out and that I might have to go down a different path. One thing I know for sure is that I now belong to a family at Mercy College, and that will stay with me no matter where I go. It breaks my heart knowing that I won’t be able to share graduation day with my classmates, but I know we are in this together and forever.