Roman Sessa (‘23), School of Business

Sessa is a double major of Business Administration and Sales with a minor in Marketing. He is heavily involved in Greek life as a member of Delta Sigma Phi and former President of Interfraternity Council. On top of that, he participates in intramural sports, including basketball, football, soccer, softball, and volleyball.

“One of the most difficult obstacles I encountered was definitely adjusting from a high school work-level to college work level. I feel that this should never be overestimated, and you should be prepared to bust your butt from day one. I didn’t have much of an issue with this, but it definitely required a change of thought,” Sessa said.

“My advice for underclassmen in the business school is to be a sponge. I had a very influential person in my life say this to me and it completely changed my perspective on my teachers and faculty.”

“Be a sponge in the sense of taking in as much knowledge as you can. Use your teachers to your advantage to further yourself in your knowledge spectrum. Knowledge is power.”

“ Once this resonated with me, it started opening more of my doors to question asking and conversation which has helped me tremendously along the way,” Sessa added.

The experiences of these seniors echo many of my own, as I’m sure they do with most graduates. My hope is that you take at least one piece of advice from this edition of “Unpacked” and are able to apply it to your undergraduate experience. As a university student, it is easy to become overwhelmed and have the urge to either shut down or overextend yourself. College is a new experience and people either freeze or try to do too much. My advice to you is to find a happy medium for the perfect balance. Forcing yourself out of your comfort zone is essential to succeeding in life and college is the perfect opportunity to do so.

However, if you continue to push yourself, you might take on too much and end up burning out, which is not good either. To find a balance, say yes to new opportunities but be conscious of your other responsibilities. Remember to make time for yourself and your own wellbeing. You do not have to do everything today; there will always be tomorrow. However, at the same time, you cannot always do nothing, for tomorrow will not wait.