"Meet the 'Eagles"

By Chelsea Anderson

It's that time of year at Niagara University.  A time that is most important for the beloved senior class.  With hundreds of varieties in majors and minors, the class of 2013 is ready to walk on stage and receive their diploma.  With a little over 4,000 students at Niagara and about 1,000 seniors, there are endless possibilities for what each person could contribute to the future.  I have interviewed one senior from each college at Niagara.  This includes the College of Hospitality and Tourism, the College of Arts and Sciences, The College of Business and the College of Education.

Amy Waldron is from the College of Hospitality and Tourism and has a major in Hospitality-Special Events and has goals to become a wedding planner.  She is a "Super Senior" and will be graduating in December of this year.  After graduation she hopes to move to either New York City to work at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Palm Beach, Florida or stay local in the Rochester or Buffalo/Niagara area.  Amy is looking forward to the famous "Senior Week" activities at Niagara and will be participating in them in 2014.  "Senior Week" has many fun activities for a fee of $160 that includes Lasertron, the formal, wine tasting, jet boats, and more fun.

We all have something we love about Niagara; whether it's the friendships, the sporting and social events or just having a good time.  Amy told us that she has loved meeting the friends she's made, going to the hockey and basketball games and all the travelling opportunities she's had for work. These include going to Italy, Disney and Myrtle Beach. When asked what she got out of Niagara to take with her into the "real world," she said being able to apply everything she's learned into whatever job she gets after graduation.

From the College of Arts and Sciences, Andrea Burdick has been working to get her bachelor's degree in criminal justice and is hoping to get a job in probation/parole in the Western New York area.  When Andrea was asked what the best part of Niagara University was, she replied, "The best part of Niagara was getting to meet new people and keeping the friends I have now...of course hockey games were also amazing. Meeting the love of my life was unexpected. Hopefully, I can continue these amazing friendships after graduation."  Our last question for Andrea was, "What are you hoping to take out of Niagara into the 'real world'?" to which she replied, "I am hoping to apply all of the things that I learned at Niagara in my job and maybe better the field I will be going into."

Kristina Chartrand is a marketing major from Rochester and is in the College of Business.  She has a minor in Sign Language and Deaf Studies.  Kristina is the president of two clubs and started the new ASL club here at Niagara.  Kristina told us, "It was important for me to leave a lasting impression on this university, and I think I have accomplished that by starting a new minor, a new club and restructuring the business school, with plans to be implemented in the fall, after I graduate unfortunately."  She certainly has made an impact through her four years here.  After graduation Kristina will be working as an Executive Team Leader (ETL) for Target in their marketing department. She will be based out of Rochester, NY for a year, with hopes to move to Boston with the company next summer. Like most students, Kristina can't wait for the end of the year and to do some resting up and socialize with fellow students.  When we asked her about what she hoped to get out of Niagara she spoke about the strong alumni network and how she got hired with Target because an alumnus recognized her from two years ago. She hopes the title 'Purple Eagle' will continue throughout her career and life.

From the College of Education, Bridget McDonnell from East Aurora has majored in special education 1-6.  She plans to return next fall as part of the graduate program Niagara has to offer.  While she is getting her master's, she hopes to begin teaching.  She was just hired to be a substitute teacher at St. Mark's School in Buffalo.  Bridget could not be more excited for "Senior Week" and added that her favorite part about Niagara is the incredible people she's met.  She wants to take away from Niagara all of the experiences she has had and apply them to real life situations in the classroom.

The senior class of 2013 is full of talent and potential.  The Graduation ceremony will be held on May 11^th.  The times for each college are on the website at http://www.niagara.edu/commencement/.