Grace Berry
@graysperry
Being a freshman in college can be pretty terrifying. Moving your entire life to a new area, trying to make new friends, and aiming to ultimately obtain a degree can be quite overwhelming to these kids fresh out of high school. So much is thrown at you at once. Maintaining a social life while training to balance a full course load and work study is not for the faint of heart.
Newest Springfield College freshman Kevin Dos Santos seems to have taken on this challenge without any problems at all.
Walking by Reed Hall, a familiar mop of brown, curly hair can be spotted. Usually sporting an incredibly friendly, inviting smile, Dos Santos can typically be seen greeting people he knows – which seems to be almost everyone. While he may be shorter in stature, his personality is surely larger than life.
Before even arriving on campus, the class of 2021 knew who Dos Santos was. Making his presence known all over the Facebook page dedicated to the freshman class seemed to be his goal. Ever since this past March, he has reached out to his classmates to make new friends, allowing the transition to campus to be that much easier. He even went as far as to make a “lit” group chat consisting of over 60 of his classmates.
“Let’s make Springfield College chats lit again!” he posted.
Now beginning to settle on campus, Dos Santos has really let the rest of campus know who he is. The pinnacle point of announcing his presence was when he made it all the way to the final round of the dance battle at the first midnight bingo. A veteran of bingo, sophomore Gianna Salce couldn’t keep her excitement contained when she saw his dance moves.
“I’ve been to multiple bingos, and I have never seen a freshman be as gutsy as him. He went out there and did his thing like no one was watching. His spirit is really going to add something special to campus,” she explained.
Along with dancing at bingo, the spitfire freshman is also the only male cheerleader on the team this year. After being a part of his high school gymnastics team, Dos Santos wanted to continue his passion, but in a slightly different way. While still being able to perform stunts, he is able to be with a whole new group of people who are becoming great mentors to him.
“I [wanted] to do something that [would] get me to have a group of friends that [would] not leave me, and always having this team that will have my back,” said Dos Santos. “I just love that environment, the community service we do, the whole team bonding – it just describes me.”
College is the time to figure out what your life has in store for you. Dos Santos, even for being a freshman who’s only been on campus for less than a month, has already discovered that Springfield College is a place chock full of opportunities to become the person you want to be.
“I’ve never considered myself someone who’s common, someone who’s like everyone. I’ve always considered myself to be different, and this school is different,” said Dos Santos. “This place has some type of magic that needs to be advertised well. I just feel like there is so much there. I’m amazed at how the magic of this place is overwhelming, and I can’t just keep it to myself. I have to tell other people.”