By Dante Iafrate
@danteiafrate
When Reese Doyon, a first-year student, stepped onto Springfield College’s campus in August, she was carrying with her the same anxiety many first-year students are: Would she be welcomed? Would she fit in? Would she make the campus home? Within days, those jitters faded away.
“I have not yet passed by anyone here who has not greeted me, ‘hi’ or ‘hello’, or held the door open for me,” Doyon said. “Springfield’s community is the best anywhere. I know exactly where to go if I need to in academics, socially, or emotionally.”
That sense of instant support is one of the reasons why Doyon was so thrilled to become a key figure on campus. She was recently elected president of the Student Government Association Class of 2029. She will be one of the voices of her class, as well as a guide to helping her peers transition into college.
Doyon is a local of Bellingham, Mass., and she is studying Communication Sciences and Disorders with a speech pathology concentration. She initially heard about Springfield last fall at an open house. The only student present for her intended major, she spent a long time with Professor Michael Neiman talking about Springfield’s newest Health Sciences Center and how much access the students would have to engage in research as undergraduates. She left that day confident that she was in the proper fit.
“I thrive when I’m juggling my physical and mental health with being of service,” said Doyon. “Springfield’s humanics philosophy was really appealing to me, and I could see myself becoming the kind of person I want to become here.”
Her campaign for class president is rooted in something more. Doyon suffered from serious illnesses in high school that made it a more frequent occurrence than not that she was out of school. She says she was one of the students who never quite fit in. Rather than allow that to define her, she uses that as a drive to ensure no one else has to feel the same.
“I understand what it is like to have to do something by yourself, to be made fun of, and to be known as something that isn’t in your control,” Doyon said. “That fueled my fire to ensure that my peers here never feel like outsiders.”
As a president, she would like to establish a culture that allows students to feel supported inside and outside the classroom. Her vision is “we over me.” Doyon envisions having social events where students can unwind, get to know others, and build relationships that are not limited to within the academic environment.
With her energy, compassion, and perseverance, Doyon is already paving the way for the Class of 2029. For a student who used to wonder where she fit in, Doyon is now one who attempts to help others find their place.
(Photo courtesy of Reese Doyon)