Their futures bright with confidence and hope,
friends, peers and leaders reflect on their time at Fordham University.
Here are some of their fondest memories:
“Production nights were great. As a transfer student, it allowed me to feel like I was more part of Fordham’s community. Coming to the Observer and becoming a member of the Observer… it was really great because it was people from all grades and different parts of campus coming together and working on something that I feel is very important because student media is important. We have bonded a lot and it’s been really nice to part of something bigger than myself on campus. If there was something that I would highly recommend to others it would be to join the Observer, or any other club that you’re interested in, because it helps you to create a community of your own.” – Katherine Smith
“Oh brother! Okay. There are so many. My favorite thing here at Fordham hasn’t been one particular moment, but it’s been overall. I’d say through my experience with ResLife and also in BeWell LC, it’s been rewarding to get see my residents and see the wellness educators learn and grow, and also see myself learn and grow through that process, and just have everyone get to know one another better and have that sort of reciprocal learning.” – Sophie Scott
“My favorite memory at Fordham was my Global Outreach program in Nicaragua. It was such a transformative experience. I realized what a Jesuit education meant once I went on that project because Global Outreach is structured according to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. It was an all-encompassing experience where I was able to apply what I’ve learned at school and what I grew to learn about Nicaragua and sort of bring it all together. It was one of those real life experiences that reinforced what a Jesuit education meant to me.” – Sandhiya Nadarajah
“One of my favorite things that I’ve had throughout my time at Fordham is being in the first class of the Gabelli program at Lincoln Center. It’s great because we’ve sort of been able to build a community over the four years that we’ve been here.” – Joe Gorman
“One of my favorite Fordham experiences was being part of Poetry Collective, a student-run weekly meetup where people share writing that they enjoy. I met most of my closest friends through it, including some of my roommates, and I can’t imagine college without the late nights in McMahon, sharing poetry with people I love. I also had an amazing time on my photography study abroad to Tokyo in the winter of my sophomore year.” – Gillian Bashaw
“After my second semester finals freshman year, me and all my friends sprinted to Central Park and we got bed sheets, laid on the grass, and listened to music. It was a little intimate oasis in the middle of the city.” – Brett Taylor
“My most positive Fordham memory was studying abroad. Just being so far away from everything I’ve grown up knowing, I’d never been out of the country and being able to explore all these places but still having the sense of community, like travelling with other Fordham students and learning in all these crazy places I’d never been to. Even though we were so far [away] there was a strong sense of ‘ramily.’” – Meg Crane
“One of my favorite memories at Fordham is the Senior Leadership Awards from last year, because I had a lot of friends who were graduating and it’s just really nice to see a moment when the Fordham administration acknowledges how much they appreciate everything that leaders do. Obviously as friends we know it and see it and support each other all the time, but hearing the nominations that people wrote for people you care about, and hearing Miss Campbell and Dean Eldredge and Claire Cumberland and everyone stand up and say we love you and appreciate you and could not have done any of this without you … It’s so beautiful… You can hear what the administration has to say but also what the students are saying about other students and I think that that’s really beautiful … And I love it.” – Nadia Semmar
Photo courtesy of Ruby Gara, Colin Sheeley, Steph Lawlor, Jordan Meltzer, Courtney Brogle, Luke Osborn, Jeffrey Umbrell and Sophie Scott