No Longer the New Kid on the Block

As our daughter begins her sophomore year it is hard for us to believe that the first year of college for our youngest child is now behind us. WOW! What an amazing experience for our young lady! She has gained so much from her involvement at Saint Leo University. She feels that she has changed for the better in so many ways; she now believes in herself, her choices, her talents and her abilities. She handles her responsibilities with the level of pride and commitment that can only lead to success. There may be a bump in the road here and there however we know she will succeed. We have come to realize that each opportunity that has been presented to and earned by our daughter has in every way challenged her. With every event she is further prepared for the future and the roles ahead in both her personal and professional life.

Shortly after our daughter came home for the summer, she became ill which is not normal for her. After many doctor’s visits, specialist, tests and even surgery, a firm and final diagnosis had not been reached. The doctors in Virginia requested that she delay returning to school until a diagnosis could be made. This just wouldn’t do. She decided that she would transfer all her medical issues to Florida so that she could continue her education -- uninterrupted. We were very concerned about this decision, so again, Mom took off to Florida for two months to assist her as she transferred her treatments. She has continued to meet with many specialists for this issue; however, yet again, everyone at Saint Leo has supported her in every way! Even to the point of offering to drive her back and forth to doctors if necessary. The staff and students at Saint Leo have proven again and again how much you are family once you are a member of this university. If she struggles with classes or grades, these same staff members and students help whenever possible. In this day and time when the world has very little time or patience for other people, it seems that there is a silent code of conduct within this university; one that instills the idea that taking care of your neighbor is a part of your daily responsibility. These folks demonstrate that level of character every day.

It has been said to us that we have so many nice things to say about this school and the people who are involved with it and we’ve actually been asked – “…surely there must be at least one negative comment you could make…”. Well, we’ve thought about this and we can only come up with one thing…..and that would be that our daughter is always too busy to remember to call. We’ve come to the realization that having her own responsibilities, her own talents, her own ideas, her own involvements and finding her own way is a good thing. What we miss is that our daughter does not have to ask us for our opinions any longer… she has her own. That being said, we could not be more proud that she is confident in her own decisions.