The Meet Your PALs Series introduces you to UNH Manchester's Peer Assistant Leaders (PALs), who help first-year students adjust to campus life. This week's PAL is Rachel Avery '20, a Goffstown High School graduate who is double majoring in English and history.
What do you like best about being a PAL?
This is my first year as a PAL and I’m excited to help make first year students’ transition to college as smooth as possible!
What advice do you have for new students?
Get involved! Drop by an event, check out a club, come to class an hour early and hang out in the Student Commons — you may be surprised at how easy it is to make friends.
What brought you to UNH Manchester?
I was drawn to the affordability of UNH Manchester, but also the small campus size and tight-knit community.
Favorite UNH Manchester memory?
Last semester, the Literature Club released the first issue of Pages, a brand-new campus literary magazine. We had a fun launch/open mic night, and I loved the opportunity to hear the creative work of my peers.
What’s your favorite class and why?
A couple of semesters ago I took Dr. Paterson’s ENGL 657 Shakespeare course and I loved it. We read and wrote about nine plays and had some fascinating class discussions.
What do you hope to be doing in 10 years?
Like so many students, I’m not sure yet! I hope to work in some kind of history-related field and maybe adopt a big fluffy dog.
Tell us your favorite:
- Restaurant: I love Portland Pie Company — they have awesome vegan cheese pizza.
- New Hampshire destination: There are way too many: hiking on Mt. Major, kayaking on Squam Lake, running the rail trails along the Piscataquog River by my home.
- Vacation destination: I visit my family in Minnesota every summer and always come away feeling rested and having seen plenty of cornfields.
- Movie: It probably has to be Star Wars of some kind, maybe The Empire Strikes Back.
- Book: I just finished Sarah Orne Jewett’s In the Country of the Pointed Firs and enjoyed it a lot.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I visited Rome a few years ago and was delighted to be so immersed in art and history. It would be wonderful to go back!
As a child, what did you wish to become when you grew up?
I think I probably wanted to be a writer of some kind; I thought Jo March [of Little Women] was the coolest.
We’d be surprised to know that…
I’m on campus all the time! In addition to working as a PAL, you can find me in Student Involvement or in the Office of Academic Advising.
If you could try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt?
I would plant a vegetable garden — I’m bad at keeping plants alive!
If you could go on a road trip with anyone (from the past or present), who would you choose and where would you go?
I would do the Pacific Northwest with Joan Baez and camp along the way; she would be a great fireside sing-a-long.
