This summer the Pedrozzi Foundation was lucky to have Maya Pillon, 2018 Pedrozzi Scholar, serve as the Student Intern at the Pedrozzi Foundation. Maya was home for the summer after her freshman year at Linfield College. Maya is amazing at time management; she balanced three jobs this summer! Maya’s attention to detail was much appreciated as she spent a significant amount of her time coordinating scholarship disbursements. The Pedrozzi Foundation is so thankful for Maya’s contributions this summer!
Maya reflects on her college experience:
“College has already transformed me in so many ways I have lost count. I have become a more independent, self-sufficient person. Before I left for college, I didn’t even like to go to the grocery store by myself. Now, that kind of stuff is old hat. I would not say that I am a completely different person because I’m not. I am still me, just a little “adult-like”.
I went to Linfield Collge in McMinnville, Oregon, so I was kind of far from home. I was very nervous about meeting new people and being able to get situated, create my own routine, and, of course, make friends. After the first month of my first year of college I was beginning to get the hang of things. I would say that fall semester was a nice introduction to college. My classes were difficult and interesting enough to keep me engaged and at the same time I was able to explore the town and the campus with the new friends I had made.
Spring semester was when I felt like I really blossomed because I wasn’t really worried about all the things I was worried about at the beginning of the year. I had found a good group of friends, with a scattering of other people that I was familiar with, I was relatively comfortable on campus, and I had a routine with all my classes and extracurricular activities. I had even created some connections with a few of my professors.
Besides all the classes I was taking, I also joined some clubs and other organizations. I joined Psych Club. I even planned a stress ball making event during finals week. I am also going to be the co-president of Psych Club next year with one of my friends, so I will get to plan more fun events. I joined RHA (Residents Hall Association). This club is kind of like leadership in high school. We plan events for the whole school (dance, carnivals, informative talks, etc.) I joined Harry Potter Club. We put on Harry Potter themed events (Quidditch) and meetings (sorting people into their houses). Lastly, I joined my school’s CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). We put on campus-wide exercises for emergency personnel on campus to evaluate what needs to change in the case of an actual emergency. I also got trained in triage and other medical and emergency related areas.
Altogether, I would say that my first year of college was a success. I am very happy with my decision to go to Linfield College. In college, I not only learned how to be a self-sufficient, “adulting” person, but I also learned to appreciate where I come from.”
