I first heard about Chester my junior year of high school. Aside from the fact that it was a liberal arts school, I didn’t know much else. A friend that currently attends Chester College, Sam Verba, told me about Chester when she received her acceptance letter.

From there I began my search online. Then throughout my senior year, Sam told me about Chester and how much she loved the school. She was partly or the majority of the reason I decided to attend Chester.

At first I was highly skeptical.Then as the year progressed, I found myself slowing falling in love with the 144-student college. For once I had felt like I was accepted for who I was and the things that I was interested in.

I became a member of SGA as the Freshman Class Representative because not only did I want to be a voice of the student body, but because I wanted to play a part in the advancement of the college as a whole. Now it seems as though I need to take that role a step further. As a member of the Chester Community, it is my responsibility to fight for something that I hold dear to my heart and stand up from what is true.

Chester College of New England is the only place where I’ve felt accepted in a school environment. I love the school, the staff, and the students. We are all unique and we fit together. We’re a bunch of misfits, but that works for us. We compliment each other equally. And while we may not see eye to eye with everyone on campus (I know that I do not), we are all willing to push that aside and stand up for our school. But the thing is, Chester College is more than just an institution or community. Chester College is a home and a family; just like family, we all have disagreements, but when it comes down to the knitty gritty we will stand shoulder to shoulder and fight for what we love together, as one.