By Brady O’Neil – News Editor

Jonathan Law Class of 2025 graduate Ariella Valentine recently started her freshman year at Rutgers University where she is majoring in Genetics.

Valentine said in general she has enjoyed the transition from high school to college. She is excited for this school year to progress and is looking forward to making new friends. 

“The transition from high school to college at first was a little rough,” said Valentine. “It was hard being away from home, but meeting a good group of people has really helped me find my spot here. I’m looking forward to meeting more people and getting to work with my peers.”

Valentine said that the thing she misses the most about home is her friends and family.

“I definitely miss my friends a lot,” Valentine said. “Being away from them is really hard, and not being able to see my family every day is a weird thing for me to get used to. Other than that I miss the convenience of being able to go where I want whenever I want, instead of having to plan out simple trips like getting groceries.”

While being in college is a huge adjustment, Valentine says that she is excited to learn more about her major.

“I am definitely ready to start working in labs again,” Valentine said. “I love being able to work in a lab, and learning about genetics. It helps me to learn more about the human body, and the subject is peer-work-based, so I get to meet a lot of like-mined people, which definitely helps with socializing.”