Imagine that life is like sailing a small boat. During your life, you pick up the skills necessary to sail your boat, and you find a sense of where you want your course to take you. You have your “One Particular Harbor (the man, the legend, Jimmy Buffett), your home, your safe haven. At some point, once you leave your safe harbor, waves may wash over the bow, and you will find yourself with wet feet. The response that has been drilled into a sailor’s mind is as follows: “When the boat fills up with water, reach for your bailer.
So, at some point in your journey, when you have waves overcome your boat, you do the most sensible and logical thing: get rid of the water. You need to bail the boat in order to sail fast and in order to stay afloat. However, damage control has its drawbacks; once you start bailing it becomes harder to keep your course. The more you bail the less you sail, and the less you sail, the farther away from home you get. Traveling away from your set course is not always a bad maneuver. Opportunities abound! Steering to starboard, brought me an unexpected surprise, an internship at the Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich.
Working with mentor, Ali Tyber, a known Cape Cod artist, allowed me to bring my own artistic abilities to an entirely different level with the end result being an exhibition of my work at the Massachusetts State House. A port tack takes me to Ecuador, where I was a participant in the “Rostro de Cristo program. Six upperclassmen were selected for this week- long mission to bring hope and inspire one’s life-long commitment to service, social justice, and solidarity in the global community. Gybe back around, and I find myself back on my original course, enlightened and refreshed, eager to return to my safe haven.
Sailing in North Bay with my high school team, has been both challenging and rewarding. As a newly formed “club sport , garnering enthusiasm and commitment from others is no easy task. As team captain for the past three years, influencing others to dedicate their time and energy to a spring sport on the water in 40 degree weather, howling winds, and unforgiving waves is all part of my leadership position. As the only female skipper, it is sometimes frustrating to convince my male teammates to take me seriously.
However, being awarded sailor of the year for three consecutive years is all of the affirmation needed. As a college preparatory student, I have selected a variety of courses that are not only interest level based, but challenge my comfort zone. Hard work and determination have dominated my studies and I refuse to allow myself to become discouraged should the fleeting “A” grade not be achieved. At Pope John Paul II High School, I am truly “sheltered from the wind , but the need to explore “different oceans brings me to my decision that Salve Regina University is the perfect “One Particular Harbor for me.
Small class sizes, a family atmosphere, and Catholic values, like my own are what truly draw me to the university. Since first visiting Salve Regina as a sophomore in high school, I have never pictured myself attending anywhere else, regardless of the many other campuses I have visited. The university is my first choice because I believe it will nurture my desire to become the best person that I can possibly be, academically, socially, and spiritually.
