Getting to know the Office of Student Life Intern Dana Petre and her reflections on the first year at High Point University.
Hi there. For those of you interested in communicating with me through this blog, I go by Dana. I am a senior here at HPU and have really enjoyed the time I have spent here. Through this blog, I hope to be able to help all of you make the most of this experience and feel better about living away from home.
So a little bit about me. I am a senior studying Psychology, with a minor in Education. I hope to one day be a college counselor. That is how I found myself in this internship at Student Life in the first place – I want to be able to help fellow student not only find their way, but find their place in this community and the community they decide to settle down in once they graduate.
I am originally from Connecticut, so HPU is a long way from home for me. I rarely go back to the place where I grew up, as it is an expensive plane ride and a VERY long car ride away. That means that I have spent most of my breaks and holidays hanging around HPU, or at least in North Carolina. In this time, I have come to appreciate this school and everything this area has to offer. I am from a very small town, and my high school class was like a family. We had all grown up together and been in school together since we were in kindergarten, so I knew that for college, I needed some space to grow into my own person. But, even though I wanted to get away from my hometown, I wanted to go to a school that still felt like home to me. That is what I felt when I stepped onto HPU’s campus for the first time. The people were welcoming and friendly and made me feel like I could be a part of this community and that I could find myself here. I visited plenty of other schools, but nothing felt like HPU did. I knew immediately that this was the place for me.
In my years here, I have changed my major, changed my minor, and changed my career path, but HPU still feels like home. I have had constant support and guidance from my professors and my advisors, and have landed this incredible internship that gives me the opportunity to connect with the people I hope to help one day. I hope that through this internship, I can use my voice to reflect the needs, wishes, and feelings of the HPU community, including all of you reading this blog. I want HPU to feel like home to all of you, and I want you to stay here and graduate just like I will this coming May. So to all of you feeling homesick, lonely, or out of place – I know how you are feeling and I hope you come to understand what HPU can do to make you feel more at home. Throughout the course of this semester, I will be blogging about a variety of topics, including housing, Greek life, and campus activities. I hope you will join me on this journey.
Please feel free to reach out to me at any time if you need advice, are feeling alone, or just need someone to get lunch with. Chances are I have felt the way you do, have had some of the same professors, and can understand your frustration and stress level better than others. You can comment on the blog posts or email me at [email protected]. I am here to help you all survive your first year of college. So, if there is a topic you would like me to cover—exams, roommate trouble, going Greek, or anything else—please let me know! I’m also happy to answer any questions you have, so don’t be shy.
-Dana