I feel like I needed to write this article because I felt like I may have come off on the wrong foot to some people. I would like everyone to know that I love Chatham, I love being here and most importantly to me, I love this beautiful campus.

I’m going to give a little background about myself: I grew up in New York, about an hour from NYC. A lot of people from other places believe that New Yorkers tend to be rude and outspoken. That might be true for people from NYC, however, I’m from a small town just north of it where everyone treats everyone else with respect despite different beliefs.

I would like to comment on a misconception that I believe has been going around campus; that male athletes are only here for athletics. Here’s the thing: Division III has strict NCAA rules about not allowing athletic scholarships. Therefore, every male athlete on this campus is here for their education and not solely athletics. Division III athletes play their sport because they love it, not because they have to. And most of us, I think, believe in Chatham’s values and hope to continue them throughout the future.

One reason why I came here is because of how much I loved this campus. Even though this school is located in a city, it has a bit of a rural feel to the campus and after growing up on a farm, it feels like home to me. I’m used to waking up every morning to a rooster crowing (seriously) and the occasional “moo” from a cow. Though we do not have that here, I just open my window and look outside at the quad and I suddenly get reminded of home. That means a lot to me.

I am not going to lie, it’s even cool to see squirrels only an arm’s length away from someone because I have never had that experience—and I’ve seen plenty of squirrels, trust me. To me, that shows me that if they are comfortable, then everyone here should feel comfortable—I believe animals are a good judge of character and atmosphere. College is like a second home and the only way it could feel like that is if you are comfortable.

There are a bunch of reasons why I came to Chatham and one is that I wanted to learn more about equality and diversity and hear from all different sides of why people think certain ways. That stuff interests me, and it basically explains why I am a Communications major. To learn more about people in general truly interests me.

Another reason why I came here is to play baseball, and I am very excited to have our first ever season this spring and I encourage as many people to come to the games as possible. I had to make the tough decision of whether to play baseball in college or join the military, and come March of this past year, I decided I just couldn’t give up the sport I love. Baseball is America’s pastime and it’s a great place to socialize. Watching baseball in person is a great atmosphere. On behalf of the baseball team, I know we would love to have the support. So when the time comes, I hope everyone comes out to support us.

We really do love this school and are happy to be here. We are excited to be a part of this community, and learn and grow here if you’ll give us the chance.