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Although the size of UMass Amherst can be intimidating to some, with that size comes opportunities at every corner of its campus, especially for ambitious students like Ilana, a member of the class of 2025. Coming from a “​​small private school with a graduating class of around 73 students” Ilana admits that she “was nervous about the transition to a school the size of UMass.” After a while, though, she understood the phrase “You can make a big pond small but you can’t make a small pond big,” and carved out a tight-knit community for herself.

The focal point of Ilana’s unique UMass experience is her role within club swimming. She recalled knowing “I wanted to try out for the team, but I hadn’t anticipated the positive impact and multitude of friends I’d make by joining the team.” Additionally, Ilana feels “club swim gives me an outlet to exercise in a fun environment.” And she has taken full advantage of this outlet by becoming club swim president, a role where she can “grow my leadership skills.”

Ilana also stays busy academically as a double major in microbiology and environmental health sciences, the latter being a major she created through the Bachelor’s Degree with Independent Concentration program. She is also pursuing a minor in Portuguese. In Ilana’s diverse studies, she has been captivated by various classes such as “Introduction to Neuroscience, Abnormal Psychology, and Introductory Biology 2.” She was impressed with how “in each of these classes, the professors showed a real interest in the material they were teaching—one even offered to teach the class for free—and had some role in inspiring my academic interests.” 

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As someone who chose UMass for its “endless opportunities both inside and outside the classroom,” Ilana has found herself a participant in many other activities on and around campus. She has dedicated herself to volunteering in places such as the permaculture gardens on campus, which she views as a “great way to meet new people and spend time outdoors while helping maintain the sustainability of our university.” Ilana also spends her free time at a local soup kitchen and as a part of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council for the College of Natural Sciences. And on top of everything else, she works with Campus Recreation and as a tour guide, where she shares UMass with other prospective students and “expands my leadership and public speaking skills as well as making my UMass community expand.”

Although her UMass journey is not even half over yet, Ilana still reflects she has “discovered what No. 1 Dining tastes like, what being in a greenhouse in December feels like, what the view from 26 stories up looks like, what being inspired by professors feels like, and the value of a strong and supportive campus community.”