Dear Malcolm

Dear Malcolm My name is Sarah Vitarisi and I am from Northford, Connecticut. Most people at UNCC don’t know where that is. Northford is by New Haven and Connecticut is right next to New York. Northford is a small town, with a population of less than 6,000 people. Most of the land is used for farming. Our most prominent crop is corn and we even have a festival every summer to celebrate and eat the corn. Being sick of the cold and wanting to get out of the small town, I decided to go to college in Queen City: a place where I did not know anybody. On August 16, I made the twelve-and-ahalf-hour drive with my family to start school. It consists of my parents and my two younger sisters. We were cramped into the car with all my stuff. And I had a lot. My sisters’ names are Rachel and Lauren and they are 16 and 10 respectably. Living so far away from them is the hardest, especially because I don’t get to go home during the semester often. This is a picture of my family when we went to Maine on vacation this summer. I’m on the right.

Besides being far from my family, I absolutely love being here at UNCC. I have so many great friends that I know I can count on and ask for help when needed. I joined a sorority that I am sadly no longer a part of. While being there, I got the most amazing Big. We have similar majors and when I ask her a question, if she can’t answer it, she will find someone who can. The picture below is of my Big and I the night it became official.

I am a Computer Engineering major. I chose this because I am good at math and science. I enjoy problem solving. I was always in the top classes in high school and excelled in them. I did so well because there was always a right answer and a wrong one. With that being said, I did

not enjoy English. I took a class through my high school that was considered a UCONN class. Though I got an A in the class, I dreaded going every other day. I would have much rather been solving math problems than learning and writing about the Beat Movement.

My biggest failure in life was never playing Varsity Field Hockey in high school. My mom signed me up for this camp when I was 9 and I fell in love with the sport. I played on the school’s team all throughout middle school and then my first two years of high school. Freshman year, I was on the offensive line and was the leading scored for the JV team. I wanted so badly to play varsity but knew they would never let freshman play. I had to keep working hard to earn my spot on the field. When sophomore year started, I continued to work to get some playing time. About half way through the season, I went to my coaches and explain to them that I want to play varsity and asked what I could improve on to get there. I don’t remember what they said exactly but I remember being embarrassed. At the next game, I play the first half with all I had, to show them I could do it. Sometime during that half, I got hit in the back of the head with a stick. No one saw it and I don’t remember it happening. Only right before and right after. I knew that if I told my coaches about it, I wouldn’t be able to play the rest of the game or even the next one. The next day, the headache was so bad I had to leave school. I was diagnosed with a concussion and that concussion lasted over a year. I was hit in the part of my head that controls my eyes. I was not allowed to read or write but I still had to go to school. I spent my time out of school in bed sleeping. My doctor and family were concerned, and I was allowed to participate in Drama Club as an ensemble member. I had been dancing since I was 3 years old. While being a part of the spring musical, I made some great friends. I felt wanted and valued, things I never felt from the field hockey team. I went on to audition for the next two musicals and got some main dancing parts. This failure also taught me the importance of my education. Not being able to learn and improve myself really bothered me. Other students were always jealous of how I got out of taking test or doing homework. None of them knew that I was actually jealous of them for getting to do actual work. Ever since sophomore year, I try to make sure everything I do is at its best quality and I’m proud to put my name on.

I’m feeling good about this semester. Can’t wait to see what happens. Sarah