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“The universe always provides.”

This is Meryl MacCormack’s motto. A senior at UNH, Meryl is a delightful, spirited person who believes, if you are patient and aware, you will find your path. She was not always so confident. As a first year student, she came to UNH feeling mature and ready. She explained, “I remember thinking, ‘How much more is there to learn?’” She thought she would major in psychology…and then thought maybe business. She became lonely, overwhelmed and depressed. She saw so many students trying to slavishly fit in, but that didn’t seem right to her. She was shy and had a hard time making connections. Four years later, Meryl will leave UNH a confident woman with an English degree, a minor in hospitality management, and a resume of interesting involvements. She created her own path, one full of important lessons, relationships, and experiences.

When she arrived at UNH, Meryl had no idea what she wanted to do. “I wasn’t enough of my own person,” she said. She was involved in Jewish youth groups in high school, so she joined Hillel hoping to make friends. She also volunteered in the Seacoast Reads program, helping a local second grader improve her reading skills. Meryl wrote an essay on the experience that won a Fidelity Literacy Prize and awarded the organization $1,000. Hillel is part of the Diversity Student Coalition (DSC), an umbrella organization which includes six diversity organizations on campus. The DSC raises awareness about diversity and multicultural issues, which is a task close to Meryl’s heart. “You have to want to meet people of other backgrounds,” she said. “There is so much complexity – it’s beautiful, interesting, and challenging.”  

Through Hillel, Meryl participated in Birthright Israel, a program which helps young Jewish individuals take a ten-day trip to Israel. She took advantage of this opportunity during her sophomore year and found Israel to be a rich, diverse, and fascinating community. The trip to Israel solidified her love of travel and inspired her to go abroad again her junior year. This time, she went to Regent’s College in London, where she was able to learn about history and architecture by walking around the city and seeing it firsthand. Her involvement in the DSC continued to expand as well and, as a senior, she sits on the executive board. She also moved up the ranks of Main Street Magazine, beginning as a writer and eventually becoming senior editor of the student-run publication.

In addition to travel and writing, there is another passion Meryl wanted to fulfill: food. Working as a room service receptionist at hotels on Cape Cod, she was exposed to fine dining, sneaking into the kitchen to make truffles when work was slow. When she decided a career in business wouldn’t make her happy, she asked herself what would…the food industry was the answer. It was this love of food that led her to be a teaching assistant in Dr. Joesph Durocher’s Beverage Management class, where she aids students in learning about international wine and spirits.

Meryl learned about a lot more than wine in the classroom. She took Environmental Resource Economics during her first semester and, though it was a tough class, she found it really rewarding. “Once you learn about economics,” she explained, “it changes the way you look at the world.” An editing class with Lisa Miller made her a better editor and Creative Nonfiction enabled her to explore and write about her own life. Professors in these and other classes as well as staff members and other students at UNH played a huge role in Meryl’s success. “You should never worry about anything if you’re making connections,” she said. “You will find a way to do what you want with the help of other people.” Though her wanderings often meant she was far from home, Meryl notes that she was lucky to have a fortunate family dynamic-unconditional love and support, and as much autonomy as she needed.
                                                                              
As she prepares to leave UNH, Meryl has lots of advice for students:

“Fill your life with experiences. Get off the computer and get out there, no matter how scary it is. Keep trying. Learn a lot in classes, but learn outside them, too. Be patient. Acknowledge that change is a constant and embrace it. Be honest and be yourself.”

After taking some time to travel, Meryl hopes to start culinary school next year. She plans to start off a little differently at school this time around, using the lessons she learned at UNH to help her along her journey. “I hope I’ll be a little more relaxed and have some fun,” she said. “I’m open to whatever comes my way.”

“Students are the focus of everything we do.”