There are a number of reasons why I chose UNH over other schools: atmosphere, programming, curriculum, facilities, proximity to Seacoast shopping havens.  I applied to two other schools and was accepted at both, but out of all the campus visits and information and feedback I received, UNH was by far the most obvious answer for me.  What appealed to me most about UNH was the fact that the campus was located in a largely democratic town and so I knew I would feel more comfortable living there being a member of the GLBTQ community.  Also, the fact that UNH had all the programs I really would enjoy such as Alliance and other various clubs as well as the curriculum I was looking for warmed me up to the campus that much more and looking back on my four years, I still realize I made the right decision.

I guess it didn't really hit me 'til the day before I was supposed to move in that I was going away to college.  I had only been on campus once for my initial visit before deciding which school I wanted to go to, so I didn't even know where my dorm was or what it looked like.  Anxiety is the most appropriate word to describe my feelings before I moved onto campus freshman year, mainly because I was introverted and found it difficult to make good friends.  So, apparently, a lot can change in four years. 

My first day on campus is one I'll never forget.  I felt anxious most of the day as I was moving in but the second my parents said they were leaving and we said our goodbyes I got sooo incredibly homesick.  I kept calling the 'rents every night for a week begging for them to come get me.  I wasn't expecting the dorm to be that small ( I've been in Marston House since my freshman year ) but I also wasn't expecting my dorm mates to be so compassionate.  I immediately bonded with my entire hallway and after that first week, you couldn't pry me from this campus .  Marston was a happenin' place freshman year, tons of cool people from all sorts of backgrounds and the majority of them were friendly and outgoing so freshman year really served as a solid foundation for my college career. I've been in a single since my freshman year but my hallmates were like roommates to me because, as any incoming freshman to the Minis will quickly find out, the walls here in our little community are not the thickest lol.

I am involved in the Animal Rights Alliance, hall council, work, & am now Vice President of Alliance .  My favorite activity is Alliance.  I really love those kids and it promotes acceptance and awareness to all the students on this campus, and I feel our organization can foster a positive change I people's views on LGBTQ issues.

All I will say is that the first week may be scary as hell, but don't let it get to you, UNH grows on you fast and you'll fall in love.  In terms of advice for LGBTQ students, I would just say that this is a very accepting campus for the most part and that you should not be afraid to go to OMSA or the DSC to talk with someone if you need to and that there will always be a place where you feel welcome on campus with these organizations.  And just for the record, OMSA is an acronym for Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and DSC is an acronym for the Diversity Support Coalition, and both offices are located in the Memorial Union Building (MUB).

This is my last semester here at UNH and I love all my classes except one.  My favorite classes are Ecology and Values (PHIL 450) with Jen Armstrong and Counseling (PSYC 762) with Richard Kushner.  Being a psychology major, I have learned to see the world through a number of different eyes since I first started school here.  In all my four years here, I would have to say my favorite three professors were the two I just mentioned, Jen Armstrong and Richard Kushner but also one who no longer works here, Chris Schadler.  I think Professor Schadler has had the most profound impact on me of all the professors I've ever had at UNH.  It is because of her I am now vegetarian and that I now limit my use of such finite resources as water and paper products.

As it is now, I have a full plate what with working at Brooks Pharmacy part-time, weekly Alliance Executive and Member meetings, five classes, and grad school looming in the not too distant future.  But, I would like to become more involved in the Alliance this semester and I will as I am planning an event for late February known as "Random Acts of Homosexuality."  This event will simply be a number of GLBT Q students studying, eating, just living in a predetermined place on campus which will be taped off with signs up.  It is to raise awareness of the fact that GLBT Q individuals are exactly the same as those who identify as heterosexual and that our sexual identity does not make us any more or less human than them.