My #GetInvolved Experience - Aury Bradley '19
July 18, 2019 | 4:00 PM
Aury Bradley '19, Social Work Major
Transferring to a new school is always nerve-wracking. With all of the unknown possibilities, you often find yourself asking questions like, will I have friends? who do I go to when I have questions? and, of course, what am I going to do? Well, this is exactly what I went through two years ago.
Two years ago, I had graduated from community college and was set to move to Jacksonville at the end of August to start my junior year at MacMurray. I had so much anxiety going to Mac because, although I’d already experienced a college environment, I’d never lived in a dorm or on-campus, let alone living so far away from my friends and family. I remember I felt very overwhelmed during Mac’s Welcome Weekend. There was so much new information, especially about how to get involved on campus with different groups and sports teams. There were also a lot of new people to meet. I wasn’t quite sure which direction I should go.
I got so involved during my first year at Mac. Since I was a Social Work major, I decided I should at least join the Social Work Club so that I could meet people in my major. And let me tell you right now, it is the best club ever. After I joined the Social Work Club, I decided to try one of the societies on campus, so I rushed for Phi Nu. I survived rush and a majority of the Phi Nu girls have become very close friends of mine. Getting involved helped me build so many new friendships and the school year flew by because I had so much to do. I couldn’t wait to go back after our summer break, and when I returned to campus in August I decided to be a Peer Mentor because I knew that one of the roles was to help those students transferring to Mac, and, as a transfer, I wanted to use my experience to help others going through the same thing. So, I attended a camp for the student leaders to do team-building and training to be Peer Mentors. When we returned to campus, I had the opportunity to experience the other side of Welcome Weekend and all the hard work everyone puts into making it a success.
Had it not have been for joining the organizations I did, I think I would’ve hated moving away from my home in East Galesburg, Illinois, and into a small room with random strangers at MacMurray College in Jacksonville. MacMurray was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I'm so thankful every day for the friendships I created while attending. Now that I have graduated and started working towards my master's degree, I often tell people about Mac and all it has to offer. I have one piece of advice for Mac students: Put yourself out there. There is always time to enjoy yourself while at college. You won’t regret it. Because I chose to #getinvolved (which I never did in high school or community college), I had so many amazing experiences during my two years at Mac. You can have those experiences, too, if you put yourself out there and take advantage of any opportunities that you’re even slightly interested in. You’ll meet some of your best friends while attending Mac and the time flies by, so use it wisely.
