From Orientation to Graduation: A Journey of Self-Discovery

By: Skylar Dorr

Editor’s Note: The Delphian has an annual tradition of publishing first-person essays by senior staff members so they can talk about what their experiences were like leading the school newspaper, as well as their time as Adelphi students. Here the editor-in-chief, features editor and social media  editor all share their thoughts. They will be missed around here!

My very first banquet of any kind, where I was inducted into the Communications Honors Society. Photo by Robert Dorr

When I first arrived at Adelphi as a freshman, I had no idea what career I wanted. I came in as an undecided major and took about every type of class available to me in an effort to find something that sparked any sort of passion. I took dance classes and drawing classes, political science and anthropology, anything to find my niche. And with graduation now closer than ever, I can safely say that I believe I’ve found it.

I realized how much I didn’t know about myself, and how much I still had (and have) to learn. Coming to Adelphi, I wasn’t particularly an academic. I was a good student and got good grades, but the feat of producing good work felt like something that I had to do rather than something that I was doing for myself. One thing that this university gave me was a newfound respect for education and educators. I’ve never met better professors, people who really taught me lessons that I will carry with me for a lifetime, and I mean that with as little exaggeration as possible. I could see how much some of my professors put effort into their lessons, into engaging students and into the material that they provided. In short, I found a respect for learning through the people who were teaching me. 

In my journey of learning and finding that aforementioned respect for it, it feels right to mention that I also learned a new language: American Sign Language (ASL), and while I’m far from fluent, I can hold my own in a conversation. I decided on a whim to take an ASL class in my freshman year, Expressive Sign, which required no prior sign language experience. I didn’t know what it entailed at the time but to be brief, you combine sign and music to tell a story through visual performance. That singular class intrigued me enough to take ASL I, and the rest is history. This semester, I’ll be completing the last class required for me to complete my Deaf Studies minor. 

It wouldn’t be a true reflection without mentioning my journey with The Delphian, and with writing. As I previously said, when I arrived here, I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. I took my first newswriting class in my sophomore year, and began to develop an interest in journalism. I was good at writing, not exceptional, but it wasn’t about what was going to be easy for me to do. Through that newswriting class, I was encouraged to allow some of my classwork to be published in the university newspaper. It felt good to tell stories and spin words in an effort to make them interesting. It felt even better telling stories that are important and need to be told, and learning about people in the process. I think that’s what I loved most about it; learning about people, about their lives and hearing what they have to say. I realized how different everyone is, all the types of people that this world has to offer and the many things they have to say, and I wanted to be an integral part of letting them be heard, regardless of the story being told. I began to pick up some stories as a writer for the paper and attended events with my fellow staffers. I made friends, and more importantly, I found something I loved.

I will cherish the friends that I’ve made here for the rest of my life, truly. There are people that I’ve met at Adelphi, through classes and mutual friends and campus activities, that I cannot imagine not having in my life. These are people that I call every day, who have seen me at my lowest and have been a shoulder to cry on, and I would not have met them had I not been here. 

It wasn’t an easy four years. I can say that with absolute certainty. I’ve learned a lot from this university, and learned a lot from life. I just found myself fortunate enough to love learning, no matter the lesson. I have been provided with so many opportunities here that it makes my head spin, and I love everyone I’ve met. I mean that seriously, I love everyone I’ve met here. They’ve all had something to offer, an inkling of knowledge from their own lives, guidance, friendship and believe me, it is not limited to that. I hate to leave it behind, but one of the most important lessons Adelphi has taught me is that what the future has in store for me might be just as exciting as what my past here has given me.