I used to cry each night because I did not feel like I belonged at Pitt-Greensburg. I did not feel like I was making friends I enjoyed being around, and I felt like the ones I did know were only using to me study. It wasn’t until I became a Peer Leader (an Orientation Leader and Freshmen Mentor) that I was able to meet people that were interested in things I was interested in, and to put myself out there to meet the new first year students.
All the other Peer Leaders helped me to feel welcomed when I joined them. We were all doing the same thing and enjoyed what we were doing. We found things we had in common. We were all different, but similar in the same way. All the Peer Leaders would amplify in each other the strengths we had.
If you do not like who you are with, you can always leave that friend group. Once you get involved you can find people who are interested in the same things you are. You will eventually find your niche. It may take some time to get to where you need to be, but once you are there, it is well worth it.
This post was written by Jessica Jaszcar, a student at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. She’s the president of Circle K, a community assistant and a peer leader.
