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Above: Joe Sweeney '85 speaks to seniors at College Transition Day.
Xavier Prepares Seniors for College Transition
By Michael P. Batten '10
With only four days of classes left, Xavier seniors took part in College Transition Day on Monday, May 11. Planned by the Guidance Department, the event gave the Class of 2015 the opportunity to learn about and troubleshoot issues they may experience as college students.
The Guidance Department envisioned the event as a way for seniors to think critically about their time in college. “Our goal was to have seniors think about essential decisions they may face in the future, and to realize they need to have a plan for themselves before they arrive on campus,” said guidance counselor Laura Amigone.
College Transition Day included two keynote presentations that offered firsthand perspectives on different aspects of college life. Faculty member Joe Sweeney ’85 discussed the challenges he faced as a student at Dartmouth College in the 1980s after his transition from Xavier. At the end of his talk, he asked the senior class to maintain the habits that brought them success at Xavier, urging them to continue to serve and live as “men for others.”
The other keynote presentation was given by Katie Koestner, executive director of the Take Back the Night Foundation, who earned national attention (including a TIME cover story) when she became one of the first survivors of date rape to speak out nationally about her experiences. Her important presentation focused primarily on issues of sexual responsibility at the university level.
After the morning presentations, students retreated to small groups for reflection and discussion with faculty facilitators, where the graduating class voiced their questions and concerns about their next four years. Once they finished, they returned to the commons for a brief wrap-up and a video montage of their time at Xavier.
Liam Coles ’15, who will attend the University of Chicago, plans to apply what he learned at College Transition Day next year. “The program was poignant and meaningful,” Coles said. “Rather than situating our future college experiences in idealistic and unreal terms, College Transition Day offered real situations and realistic expectations of what we may experience in college. Because of the day, I think we’re all more excited and ready to face the challenges that college may hold.”