Reflections Magazine Issue #76 - Spring 2012 | Page 16

Feature Article

It was very difficult to deal with. But for
some reason, being at school was a huge
comfort. Siena Heights gave me a good
feeling as soon as I came in the doors.
— Andrea

A One-Way Ticket to Siena Heights
A college education was something not only
discouraged in Andrea’s family, it was not permitted. So when Andrea graduated from high
school, her father gave her an ultimatum—if
you go to college, don’t bother coming home.
“They thought it was stupid,” Andrea said of
her father’s and stepmother’s opinion of a college
education. “They said it was pointless.”
However, Andrea, who moved in with
some friends after graduating, felt the call to do
something better with her life, and she believed
college was the right path.
“College was always talked of highly in high
school,” she said. “I always saw the signs on
(students’) lockers saying what college they were
going to. … I was directionless, but I knew I
wanted to do something college-wise.”
One day the friends she was staying with
visited Siena Heights, and Andrea decided to
tag along.
“We went into admissions, and they asked
me, ‘Are you interested in going (to Siena
Heights)?’” Andrea said. “I said, ‘I don’t have
any money and my parents don’t want me to.’ …
They started talking about ways I could come
to Siena.”

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Reflections Spring ’12

That “way” was financial aid, and Andrea
needed a lot of it. Without her parents to rely on,
Andrea said, admissions, financial aid and some
caring faculty helped her not only get to Siena
Heights, but stay here.
Andrea paid another, steeper price for attending Siena Heights. She was, in essence,
homeless, because of her decision. In fact, until
this spring, she has not had any direct contact
with her parents for nearly five years, meaning
her ticket to Siena Heights was one way.
“I knew that I couldn’t go back,” Andrea said.
“It was very difficult to deal with. But for some
reason, being at school was a huge comfort.
Siena Heights gave me a good feeling as soon as
I came in the doors.”
She embraced her new adopted Siena “family,” getting involved in campus life as much as
possible. Holidays and breaks were difficult,
hanging out in the residence halls and working
at a local retail store to pass the time.
“I stayed in the dorms and went to work and
back,” Andrea said. “I wouldn’t tell the whole
world I didn’t have anywhere to go.”
During those breaks, Andrea discovered
there were several students in similar situations.
In fact, she said they called themselves “lobby
rats,” hanging out in the sitting rooms outside
the residence halls. Sometimes they would play
games like hide-and-go-seek around campus,
other times they would spend hours in heartto-heart conversations about life.

“We share a common bond,” she said of her
fellow “lobby rats.” “When you can relate to
someone a little bit like that about who you
are, it goes a little deeper. … Everyone has their
own story, and everyone brings something
different to the table.”
She said at times some SHU faculty and staff
members became parental figures, especially
when she needed it the most.
“I feel like the teachers here definitely want
to connect with you,” Andrea said. “I didn’t tell
my story many times to people, but for some
reason, (faculty and staff ) treated me with much
more compassion.”
Now, she is ready to “pay it forward.” Andrea
will graduate in May, and although she isn’t quite
yet sure what