Walking into Cosi after a 20-minute train ride, Zara Marsan, FCRH ’26, holds her violin on one shoulder and a small backpack on the other. She smiles when she sees me, and it reminds me of the first time we met. Outside of our theology classroom on the first day of the spring semester, we were waiting for class to begin. Not everyone has the confidence to strike up a conversation with a stranger, but Marsan spoke to me like we were childhood friends, immediately making the atmosphere more comfortable at the start of a new year.
Marsan commutes from New Rochelle to Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus. However, her presence and comfort on campus would never reveal that fact. “I try to come to campus an hour before or stay an hour after my classes,” she explained, appreciating the beauty of campus and the change of scenery. You can often catch her picking up an iced caramel latte at Cosi, which is why she insisted we meet there.
Outside of her major’s computer science classes, Marsan is a member of Fordham’s Symphony Orchestra. Every Thursday for three hours, she sits in the basement of Loyola Hall, occupying the second stand at the front of the violin section. During rehearsals, I often catch Marsan whispering jokes to her stand partner and making the other violinists laugh during our run-throughs of Beethoven. Her energy is contagious, and even from across the room, I can’t help but silently laugh along at her expressions, even though I can’t hear her undoubtedly witty quips.
Marsan began playing violin in third grade, but she does not come from a musical family. Over the course of her younger years, to her family’s surprise, Marsan started to get serious about music. Marsan played throughout elementary and middle school. She began taking music lessons led by volunteer high school students through a program called Songcatchers. Later, she became one of those same volunteers. Additionally, while playing in high school, Marsan was part of the Music Conservatory of Westchester. She also plays guitar and has some piano knowledge. Her love for music and extensive training has led her to pick up a music minor along with her computer science major — two areas of study that would otherwise seem at odds, but clearly fit in Marsan’s creative personality. While sipping on a caramel latte, she tells me how she “loves to pick up random hobbies… I picked up baking.” She recalls her last baking experience, where she made brookies. She also used to do art, but it is a hobby she has recently dedicated less time to.
Her family hails from Croatia, and one of the reasons she chose Fordham was because of the rich eastern European presence in the surrounding Bronx area. She recalls how she “would come to this area so much growing up.” She laughs with me about the familiar food on Arthur Avenue influencing her choice to be at the Rose Hill campus, saying, “I do like that some of my culture is here.”
Although Marsan does enjoy a sense of her family’s culture in the Bronx, she tries to go back to Croatia every two years. Marsan recalls her fondness for the Adriatic Sea in which she snorkels when in her family’s hometown of Zadar, Croatia. “I’ve always loved aquatic things… I feel like it’s a safe space for me,” she said, and suddenly her relaxing presence and go-with-the-flow nature makes sense. Her home in New York is also near the water, although her affinity for swimming doesn’t translate as well into the murky waters off the coast of New Rochelle.
Marsan is multi-talented and passionate, and exudes confidence in all of her endeavors. She recalls how she didn’t even know Fordham had an orchestra when she arrived in her first semester. As a commuter student, Marsan struggled to find activities on campus to regularly participate in, but now she looks forward to rehearsals each week. She even participates in a student-led quartet that meets every Monday. She smiles when she tells me that she “genuinely enjoys it so much” and has found comfort in the music she plays with others.
