Welcome newest Lions. Today initiates the first day of a four-year-long journey. At the end of the journey, you will receive a document that shows your proficiency in a craft of your choosing, but most of all, your dedication to your future. Some days will be hard, most days you will encounter new experiences but every day you will have a support system on campus that will help you with any and everything that you need. The Saint Leo family is one of the most diverse that you will ever find in the country, student, faculty, and staff hail from different countries and backgrounds and create the melting pot that you will come to call home. There is no one message for every student as you are as unique as we are and so to welcome you I will split my messages into different groups.
Florida Residents
This may be one of the first times in your lives that you are away from your parents, who may not be around to wake you up in the morning or make breakfast as you crawl into the shower on a Monday morning (I know I’ve been there). If you’re from Miami, Tallahassee or right here in Tampa you will find yourself away from the watchful and sometimes overprotective eyes of your parents, which seems like a good thing until you realize you have to manage your own finances and mitigate conflicts on your own. The most comforting aspect is your family, who are closer than others.
Out-of-State Students
Homesickness is real! Your parents, friends and even pets will all seem to mean so much to you as the weeks pass on. The stress of a new environment and being away from all that is familiar will weigh on you greatly between the time your family leaves and the first month of classes. Put up a lot of pictures, call/text them whenever you can but most of all make new friends. You will be surprised to learn how many of the students in Saint Leo will be from your state or even city. Through the journey of meeting new persons, you will learn how they cope with being away from everything they have grown up amongst. You will grow as you become exposed to persons from similar but also different backgrounds and learn even more about yourself than you had ever thought.
International Students
Much like the out-of-state students, you will be far away from the watchful eyes and protective arms of your family members. While that seems like it’s the best idea ever, you must be careful to make every decision as if you’re an adult. Yes, adulting starts now! Like every other student, you will be tasked with making daily decisions that will affect your school career and financial life but with even harder consequences. Find persons who are a part of your country’s diaspora in the school but also take the time to connect with students from everywhere represented on campus; you will find that our collective stories are what will make us stronger. There are multiple groups that are on campus that will give you support as you transition such as ISA (International Students Association) and CSA (The Caribbean Students Association).
As everyone transitions into college life, rest assured that your experience at Saint Leo will not be overwhelming for various reasons. The class sizes are smaller than other universities which allow you to know your classmates but also your professor on a deeper level. Learning occurs within and outside the confines of the classroom as your professor will always make themselves available and there are multiple resources available to you like the C.A.V.E (Center for Academic Vision and Excellence) where you can receive tutoring, as well as key study tips from classmates for specific classes.
There will be multiple opportunities under the guidance of the University for you to break free from the school environment and see baseball, basketball, soccer games and a myriad of other events in and around the Florida state. Take in as many opportunities as you can as it all will lend credence to your overall freshman experience.
Remember to always exercise sound judgment when it comes to making decisions regarding studies and your downtime. Many students neglect to make the right decisions at the beginning regarding study times, creating proper schedules for classes, deciding to attend parties and other social events which sometimes create difficult pathways for them throughout their college careers.
Class of 2022, get ready to learn not just about Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, but learn about yourself. You will certainly lover the person you become.
