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Ellie, a sophomore at UMass in the Isenberg School of Management, majors in operations & information management, along with being a part of the Commonwealth Honors College. She attended Hingham High School and rowed varsity crew in her hometown of Hingham, Mass. 

Ellie’s academic background at her large public high school prepared her with the skills to succeed in college. It was helped Ellie’s transition to be self-motivated, driven, and focused to keep striving toward her goals. At a large school, she noted, it's crucial that one can ask questions, seek out help, and put themselves out there to find a community.

One of the biggest differences between Ellie’s hometown and the UMass community was the incredible diversity she found on campus. Here, she could meet people from across the world who came from different religious, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. 

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Ellie’s father is a UMass Isenberg alumni, which meant that she had been to the UMass campus before, but only had distant memories. It was important for Ellie to connect with the campus herself, which she did through her campus tour. She noticed the little things on the campus tour, specifically the ways UMass was investing in its students via new buildings. Some examples that have impacted her most are the Isenberg Innovation Hub, the new Student Union, and even Worcester Dining Commons.

“UMass truly cares about its students’ experience,” said Ellie. Through the campus tour and her own research, she found UMass fit all her criteria with the sheer amount of options for majors, clubs, and activities. 

Ellie’s adjustment to UMass included both random and intentional involvement. When she was new to the school, she took on the “random path” and explored campus, attended events, joined different clubs' email lists, and met as many people as she could. The more she was involved, the more focused she became, and began joining specific clubs whose values aligned with hers. Ellie explained, “Within a week I felt like I lived here and that this was my new home.” 

Ellie eventually joined IUCG, the Isenberg Undergraduate Consulting Group, a student-led, real-world consulting group where she now spends most of her time. Ellie described her fellow peers as extremely driven and motivated towards business careers like she is. The Women in Business club also provided Ellie with much-needed advice and guidance in her freshman year. She found many older students who were there to mentor her and help with anything she needed, academic related or not. 

After her first year at UMass, Ellie is grateful for having been able to shape her experience by making her own choices regarding her academics, extracurriculars, social life, and more.