Making the tradition your own
Noreen Galespie
Managing Editor
Like any other incoming college freshman, I unpacked not only dorm supplies on my first day of college. Alongside my boxes, I delicately unpacked fear, high school memories and jittery expectations for the future.
My mom graduated from Saint Mary's in 1976; my dad from Notre Dame that same year. Following their graduation, we would have six other family members graduate from both institutions. From the time I was five I received Saint Mary's T-shirts as Christmas gifts and became accustomed to my dad saying Hail Marys in front of televised football games on Saturday afternoons. Needless to say, my college destiny had me mapped straight for South Bend, Ind. I had certainly heard enough about this storied place to ease any uncomfortable feeling that may have settled in the pit of my stomach, but regardless of any legacies, the butterflies remained.
Perhaps it was the legacy itself that made me nervous. Every time I turned a corner on campus, I had the haunting feeling that my family had been there before me. It was almost like part of my discovery process of college had been violated, and nothing was my own.
What I didn't realize was that in the coming months, I would make my Saint Mary's experience more of my own than I had ever imagined. While I was walking in my parents' footsteps, I was using my own shoes — and leaving some large footprints. As I muddled my way through my first semester of classes, my first dorm parties, SYRs and working for The Observer, I suddenly realized at the end of it that I was calling this place in South Bend home. And magically the butterflies disappeared.
Over the next few months you will receive countless pieces of advice. Some you will find invaluable, some you will discard. However you decide to proceed with the next four years of your life, remember that it is your own. You, the class of 2004, are about to join a rich 156-year old tradition that has been forged by many before you. But you will come in and make this place your own, with your spirit, your drive, and your willingness to embrace your Saint Mary's experience.
Within my quest to separate myself from my family, I found myself falling into the unique tradition that had characterized them for so many years. While I still remain bound and determined to forge my own path, somewhere along the way I realized that I wasn't following my family's path, but adding to it. And with that addition, my college experience was my own — and I had constructed it myself.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Noreen Gillespie is a junior political science and sociology major at Saint Mary's College. Her best piece of advice to freshmen is to save all quarters for laundry, because the dollar bill changer usually just eats your money.
All Viewpoint Stories for Saturday, August 19, 2000
