Profile Story

Walking through campus with a friend early Thursday morning, I saw a short unique looking boy who seemed very confused. His attire consisted of fitted blue jeans, black converse shoes and a fancy zip up coat. He automatically came to my attention because he seemed and looked different than most of the boys that I see everyday walking around campus. I thought that he must be new to this school since his eyes kept wondering around searching for the right building.

As I continued to observe him, I realized he was walking towards the Union, where he gathered up with a group of International students, who are new this semester at University of Maine. I kept trying to figure out what country he is from and if he spoke a bit of English. A few minutes later, coincidentally it just so happened that my friend recognized him from one of her classes. She said he is a freshman who just moved here from Italy. That is when I realized the reason why he must dress so nicely is because he comes from Europe, where most individuals have a passion for style.

My friend and I thought it would be a good idea to stop by the International meeting at the Union and meet some of these new students, who most probably do not know many people. We found out that this particular boy from Italy, worked a full time job every day and took classes, which seemed very impossible for me to do. I was in shock that his parents were making him pay for school, even though he did get a grand amount of money to attend this University.

I strongly believe this young man's future is in good hands. He is a strong worker, apparently very smart and bilingual. I asked him if he is trying to make any improvements with his life and he responded quietly and said, "Other than improving the language, all I want to do is learn my way around this school, it is way too big!"