Coming to a university filled with more than 50,000 different faces can be overwhelming as a freshman. But many students take advantage of the chance to make long lasting relationships and build skills that set them apart from others in their chosen career fields.
For freshmen, this new semester is a chance to reflect on their first months at MSU. For seniors, it’s time to look forward, with only one semester between them and the real world. Both new and veteran Spartans shared some of their favorite MSU memories with The State News.
Unpredictable experiences
As a new Spartan, arts and humanities freshman Shea Heid has begun to make her dorm in Abbot Hall feel like home. By joining numerous student clubs, getting involved with hall government and being introduced to Chipotle’s burrito bowl, her ride has been “unpredictable.”
Heid said being a freshman can be intimidating when trying to adjust to the workload and difficulty from classes.
“You’re on your own, so it’s really important to manage your time and find out what works best for you,” Heid said. “Of course, you also want to have a social life and do well academically, so it’s finding that balance.”
On Halloween night, Heid tried Chipotle for the first time. In a Mexican skull costume, Heid and her roommate sprinted down Grand River Avenue.
“We were fighting the breeze to get to Chipotle,” Heid said. “We wanted to enjoy the burritos back at the dorm so we cradled them in our arms and ran back to (Abbot Hall). It was this bundle of joy.”
Having fun is only half the ride. Heid has already studied abroad in Ireland through a freshman seminar.
“Hopefully I can minor in (Japanese) and take some courses as electives. I hope to study abroad again,” Heid said. “I hope to do a semester in Japan because I really enjoyed it. It’s more like a personal fulfillment.”
From graduating high school and continuing on to MSU, Heid knows she made the right decision to be a Spartan.
“Coming here, I just felt at home — it felt right. They just really have a world-class education, really great people, so many options and the people you are surrounded by are all spirited,” Heid said.
Commuter telecaster
Meeting new people through her residence hall was not an option for media and information freshman Anna Young.
This Spartan comes from a green and white family, with a mother who teaches at the university and cousin and siblings who have graduated as Spartan alumni. Young commutes from her parents’ home in Eaton Rapids, which is about 20 minutes from campus.
Young joined MSU Telecasters her first semester, where she met most of her new friends.
“I think the people here are really great,” Young said. “They are so welcoming — no matter where you are from, they just want to talk to you and do anything with you. I think it’s a really inclusive community, which is cool, since usually when you come to college you don’t know very many people.”
During taping of “The ShoW,” a sitcom from Telecasters, Young joined the rest of her cast and crew to a house off Grand River Avenue rented by four male students.
The filming took place when the residents were gone, so it was a little strange, according to Young.
“I just want as much experience as I can get before I try and get a career in media,” Young said.
Being off campus when she isn’t in class or shooting for Telecasters, Young said she finds the social aspect difficult.
“I’m from a really small town with the same people so it was really crazy to come to this place that I wasn’t used to and where I didn’t really know anybody,” Young said. “Just finding people to spend a lot of time with all time is hard because you meet so many people. It’s hard to have a close group of friends.”
Community within a community
As a new student coming in her sophomore year after completing her freshman year at Eastern Michigan University, senior Meghna Cheruvatath found her home away from home through student organizations.
During the second half of her first year at MSU, Cheruvatath joined the Southern Asian–based sorority, Sigma Sigma Rho, and Orchesis Dance.
“Orchesis is a modern dance group and the dance minors kind of run the whole program. When I did it, it was student choreography, so every piece was choreographed by a dance minor,” Cheruvatath said. “It was really cool to work with them and see their artistic vision being put into place.”
When she was growing up, Cheruvatath didn’t interact with her Indian culture much, save for trips to the temple.
“I guess I wasn’t really interested because there was no one else I knew doing it,” Cheruvatath said. “When I joined Sigma Sigma Rho, I was drawn to it because I thought these girls might be something like me or what I want to be.”
This was where she connected with similar girls and began to interact with her culture.
“I knew nothing (about Indian culture) — they taught me everything. I learned so much,” Cheruvatath said. “They made me want Bollywood movies, songs and learned a lot about my religion going through the year with them by holidays.”
During her time in Sigma Sigma Rho, Cheruvatath was able to participate in philanthropy events for domestic violence, which hits close to home with many Indian families.
“It’s a great way to meet people and it makes this huge campus feel a little bit smaller, that you’re a part of something smaller,” Cheruvatath said.
Now that she’s achieved her goal of becoming more independent in college and being able to cook and take care of herself, Cheruvatath sets out for her next venture after graduation — to go to medical school. She said she hopes to become a pediatrician.
Rioting and revelry
Looking back on his college experience, it was witnessing the Cedar Village revelry after the Big Ten championship game last year that made the best story for finance senior John Laciura.
“Michigan State is a big sports university and we all get rowdy for the games,” Laciura said. “I lived in Cedar Village, so I got to witness something I’ll never be able to witness again — a riot at MSU. To be fair, it was a friendly riot. But was crazy seeing all the cops and just the atmosphere was crazy.”
Village Drive erupted with students carrying couches, who continued to set them on fire. Others circled around, which filled the streets of Cedar Village. East Lansing police surrounded the area, but had a hard time breaking up the large amount of rioting fans.
“At one point there was three fires going on and all the streets were filled with people. In the end, there was a fire and probably like 24 cops marching in a line arresting people — everyone else scattered,” Laciura said.
For this senior, his time at MSU is coming to a close and grown-up reality is settling in. Laciura looks to find a job in finance dealing with risk management and problem solving.
“This semester I’m going to figure out my top five locations I want to live. Being at MSU, we are highly regarded so we can have pick a little bit,” Laciura said. “I’ll just research companies from there and find one that’s a good fit.”
With only 10 weeks left before walking for graduation, his advice for newer students is to cherish their time on campus while they’re here.
“For me, I was shy at the beginning, but you just have to start getting out of your shell. You make friends for life here,” Laciura said. “Don’t take anything for granted — it goes by fast.”
