Article by Elizabeth Schoof, Staff Writer

Dear Aquinas,

After spending months touring every campus on my list and applying to schools far and wide, it was the school that my parents forced me to apply to that chose me. My absolute last resort, and it chose me. Don’t get me wrong, I got accepted into other schools, but it was Aquinas that captured my heart in a way no other school could. No matter how hard I try, I can’t pinpoint what exactly won me over, but the moment I set foot on this campus I was head over heels in love.

A lot of people would argue that you can’t be 100 percent certain on anything in life. It offers no guarantees. While I can agree with that statement to some extent, I can honestly say that I was absolutely certain that Aquinas was the right school for me. I didn’t know what it would offer me, but something told me that it was going to be bigger than I could have imagined.

From the way the trees change in the fall, to the beauty of Bukowski Chapel, I think we can all agree that our campus holds a lot of aesthetic charm. That being said, you can’t judge a book by its cover. A pretty campus doesn’t determine the quality of the people on it. The thing that I firmly believe sets Aquinas apart from any other school is the community that it builds. Coming in as a first year and not knowing anybody was absolutely terrifying, but it didn’t take long for me to start finding my space. I still laugh about the first time Bridget Gibley and I walked in for a meeting at The Saint and the Mackenzie Murphy knew our names. It might take a little while, but eventually everyone finds the place that they fit best.

This school has provided me with some of the best friends I could have asked for. Some of them started out as suite mates or people living down the hall from me. Others were simply people that got picked up and dragged along for the ride. Regardless, they’re among some of the most wonderful people I have had the pleasure of meeting. From going to mass together on Sunday nights to cramming people into rooms and projecting movies onto the wall, they’ve been there for every significant college experience I’ve had, and I know that they’ll be present in all the experiences going forward.

Some people choose their college based on the dining halls or the squirrel watching clubs, but with a community like Aquinas none of that really matters. I love Aquinas for more than the food at Wege or the overly friendly squirrels. I love it for the people who go here and the experiences it’s provided me with.

About the writer: Elizabeth Schoof is a sophomore at Aquinas studying English and Communications. She loves reading, writing, photography, and laughing at her own jokes.