Every day at college is a chance to do more for yourself and your peers — that’s something I had to remind myself of as a clueless, overwhelmed freshman who was not as involved as I would have hoped. While I had made great friends on campus, I had not put myself out there in terms of clubs and organizations. I had attended some introductory meetings, but as I was nearing the end of my freshman year, I did not feel connected to anything. It’s easy for the four years to go by and stay on the sidelines, but I realized that’s not what I wanted from my college experience. 

As I worked my retail job in the summer of 2022, I aimlessly stared out the window, looking at my suburban town and pondered what I could do to make my next semester at Fordham more enjoyable and worthwhile. 

During the first semester of my sophomore year, I saw on the Ram’s Instagram story that they had an interest meeting. I knew basically nothing about the Ram besides their Instagram, which I followed to stay up-to-date about news on campus. I overcame my nerves and decided to attend the meeting. While I joined the budget for the culture section, I only ended up writing one article and sought to gain more from my involvement with the club. On a whim, I applied for a position and am now currently the Social Media Director.

Growing up, my dad was infamous for taking countless pictures, and as I grew old enough to have social media accounts, my love of capturing the moment was apparent online. As I have spent almost two years at Fordham, my joy of creating posts for Instagram has translated into the community here through my involvement with the Ram. 

Every Tuesday, I look forward to seeing the digital team and reading all the unique articles different people produce. The digital team is only one part of creating The Fordham Ram, and there is so much creativity within the rooms that make me so proud to be a part of an organization like this. While I did not know anyone at the Ram prior to joining, everyone possesses such admirable qualities that make me grateful to surround myself with such people.

It might seem like when you get to college, you have to have it all figured out, but I believe the most important thing you can do is relax and involve yourself in areas that speak to you. It may not be what you expect, but there is good in finding your place in the unexpected. Those niche interests you have hold more meaning than you could ever imagine. Often we undervalue our skills without knowing how much they can make an impact on something. I have always had a love to create and share media with the world, but I never knew how I would be able to share this passion or that it would lead me to the Ram. 

Not only does getting involved on campus provide a break from school, but it also alleviates stress and allows for a mental break. College is exhausting and taking a break from those stressors is important. While I find myself drowning in essays and projects during the week, having other sources of enjoyment make my life so much better. Taking time to do things that I love is crucial to keeping myself at my best and seeking that source of fulfillment will do wonders for your college life.

If you were to tell freshman-me that I would be a part of the school newspaper, I would not believe you, but I have learned many things from this experience. Most importantly, I have realized that the greatest things come from the random things we decide to do, and with that, I am so thankful that I chose to join the Ram!

Rory Donahue, FCRH ‘25, is a digital technologies and emerging media major and marketing minor from Haverford, PA.