Three Seniors Recap Their College Experience
By Nic Lewis, Nicholas Jackson, and Hannah Phillips
Nic Lewis
For some people, it comes naturally; they just know what they want to be when they grow up. But for most of us, the answers rotate. In elementary school, children would say, “Doctor,” or “Teacher,” and occasionally new ones like “YouTuber.” But by high school, there was a rush to know with what felt like an indefinite answer. “What are you going to major in at college?” There was so much pressure to develop something fantastic and fast, like a last-minute gift to a birthday party you forgot about. All I had was: “I don’t know.”
What I did know was that I loved the arts. In high school, I was involved in anything creative— band, choir, theatre, and visual arts. I wanted to create and have a persistent chance to prove myself.
College felt no different. I did not have a defined identity yet. All I cared about then was if there was a theatre program—grasping something that made me feel passionate. Because God forbid I spend my life doing something I didn’t enjoy!
In the Fall of 2018, I moved into Archer Hall early due to band camp. I remember thinking that it was a chance for a new chapter. A
re-birth, re-start… That is when “Nic” was born. When I was asked my name, I panicked and said Nic. I didn’t lie. My goal wasn’t to create a false identity, but a new one. Just as Paul was to Saul, in the Bible. I went from Amber to Nic. A name I came to love and treasure because it became my story. So, Nic became someone I grew into.
Someone I came to love.
Well, from 2018 to 2022, I pursued my passion for performance and storytelling as a theatre major with a communication minor. During those four years, I fully immersed myself in the arts world–involved in 13 theatre productions, completing two theatre internships, and performing in Chorale for 4 years. I even expanded my creative expression into music, spending a year in the marching band and being involved in Spotlight for two years. Then, I graduated.
But my vision was always bigger than a single degree. From the beginning, I set a personal goal: to earn two bachelor’s degrees. At
the time, I was comfortable stopping where I was for now; at least I had one. But I didn’t ever feel resolved until I completed my goal. After some time away from the university, I decided I wanted to finish what I started.
After graduating in 2022, I returned.. Surprise! In the Fall of 2024, I re-attended the UC to complete the Bachelor of Science in Communication with an emphasis in Journalism. I wanted to tell stories and tell them through meaningful human connections. I knew it only took a year to complete, so why not? A goal had to be completed sometime. Since returning, I continued to grow, bringing with me the knowledge of the past, finding newfound friendships and opportunities.
If you were to ask me today what I want to be when I grow up, I’d tell you this: I want to be a storyteller. Whether it’s on stage or in
print, I want to share truths—mine or someone else’s—with honesty, heart, and a little bit of flair. Because for me, it’s never been about a perfect answer to a grown-up question. It’s about following the passion that sets my soul on fire, embracing the journey, and telling the stories that deserve to be heard.
Nicholas Jackson
Coming to the University of the Cumberlands, my focus was almost entirely on athletics. The sole thing that brought me to Williamsburg was that they offered me a scholarship to play soccer, and that is what I wanted more than anything for myself in college. It was my goal all through high school, and so for me to accomplish that, my first year of college was a huge boost to my excitement to come here.
The first semester here was slow, it felt, but weirdly enough, I do not remember most of it. In the second semester, I met a lot of my friends, I got to do some things I had always imagined when I thought about going to college. I pulled a few all-nighters, I had some campfires, and got back into Magic: The Gathering with one of my best friends.
Sophomore year was a little bit different; my girlfriend was taking a gap year, and so the year felt a little less fun for me. In the second semester, though, once again, a lot changed. Come the second semester, I got into Residence Life, and this is where a big part of my life changed. Suddenly, being an RA, I had more responsibility than I ever had before. This led me to having the best grades I had all of my college or high school career and gave me a new outlook on who I surrounded myself with as well as who I was myself.
Junior year may have been my favorite year of college, as my girlfriend came back to college and I had more free time than usual, a lot of my days were spent playing Magic: The Gathering with my friend Alex or ping pong against my girlfriend or the other RA on my shift. It was always a good time, and I even became very well known in my dorm for my ping pong skills.
I was still playing soccer at this point, but I actually became more interested and involved in ResLife than I did in soccer. This led to a very difficult decision for me at the end of my Junior Year. I decided to fully quit soccer and attempt to become a Residence Hall leader for my Senior Year. This was a super hard decision as I had played soccer for 18 years every year at that point. Thisis one of the biggest decisions I have ever made in my life and while it was scary, it was not a decision I regretted.
Senior year has been a crazy one; it has had ups, it has had downs, and it’s been somewhat surreal. I’ve made some of the best friends in all of college through Residence Life, but I’ve also kept a lot of my friends from freshman year. I got to play soccer and Magic: The Gathering, but I have also taken up new things such as writing for the newspaper.
It feels weird that I have gone through all of college, and the best advice I could give a freshman coming in is that there is a line between being too obsessed with school and being too obsessed with social life. It is an extremely important line to figure out where it is at because once you do that, you will be able to have the best time of your life at college. Life never felt like it slowed down, it has only gotten faster, but it’s so advantageous to try to find the slow moments that you can enjoy with friends.
Hannah Phillips
When I began applying to colleges, I didn’t consider the University of the Cumberlands. I had a list picked out of where I wanted to apply and tour, but this college didn’t make the cut. It wasn’t until my dad told me I should consider applying; my salt-of-the-earth babysitter from my childhood had attended and loved it here, so he thought it might be a good match. Like most times in my life, he was right. We came and toured sometime later, and I fell in love.
I met a friend at the summer orientation retreat sometime in June of 2021. She told me her name was Micah, and she was studying education- cool, me too! My education major didn’t last, but the friendship with Micah did, and it still prospers today. I met her cousin, Marinah, when the school year started, and from there, I met some of Micah’s other friends, like Sophie and Chloe, whom I was introduced to at the hoco-hoedown that fall. If I hadn’t met these girls, my college experience would have looked very different. We’ve attended as many events as possible over the last few years, and my experience has been so much better because of that. In a few months, I’ll be standing beside some of them on their wedding day.
When I was in high school, I was very fortunate to learn from teachers who truly cared about my well-being and success both inside and outside of school. My mom tried to warn me that college was different; you’re just a number in most professors’ eyes. At most colleges, this is very true. However, my experience did not relate to this standard. From the first class I took here, I built an interpersonal relationship with my professor that made me want to learn because I knew someone truly cared that I was there. This continued through almost every other class I took here; I’m constantly reminded that I’m not only loved, but also liked, wanted, and enjoyable to be around. This has tremendously impacted my education.
If I could give advice to incoming freshmen, I’d tell them to get out and live. Experience different things and attend events you don’t even think you’ll like. Soak it up, live in the moment, and cherish these memories. Don’t forget to study, and try to learn as much as possible while here. Learning new education is one of the best parts of being human; don’t let Chat-GPT do the fun part for you. You’ll hear it a thousand times, but I’ll tell you again: these next four years will go by fast- enjoy them.
