Biosketch
Name?
Grace Dockery
College?
Manning School of Business
Major?
Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship
Hometown?
Tewksbury, MA
Favorite hobbies?
Going for relaxing car rides and finding fun nature spots
What is your favorite thing about UML?
I love how you can feel the support; everyone there wants you to succeed and you know it.
What are your future goals?
To work for myself owning my own business and dedicating much of my time to my family and friends.
What has being involved with the RHSA meant to you?
Being involved with the RHSA has given me lots of information to help me with my first year of college and has introduced me to many people that I am eternally grateful for. I think that if I wasn't surrounded by those people and made aware of how to navigate myself as a first-gen college student, I wouldn't be as confident in moving forward in my academic career as I am now.
Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself in your first year of college?
I would tell myself to not worry so much about your day to day responsibilities as a college student. I was very concerned with time management and how to make myself as efficient as possible. That drove me to take no breaks for myself and eventually a large amount of stress. I wish I knew that professors were not as scary and especially during fall semester for first year students they are accommodating and for the most part understand that everything is completely new. And I would most importantly tell myself that finding friends is not as scary as it seems here.
What advice would you give fellow students?
I would tell fellow students to feel like you are over prepared for everything. College academics are very quick and you can fall behind very easily if you do not keep up or aren't ahead. Feeling extra prepared can look differently for everyone but showing up to class with my notes already written out and studying for tests the moment material came out is how I felt that comfort. That way, whenever I did have to miss a class for whatever reason, I wasn't totally behind and could still grasp the information. And when exam preparation begins you can have extra time to spend on topics you are struggling with. I feel as though being prepared is very important for students to learn and master during their time in college.
Why did you choose to attend UMass Lowell?
I chose to attend UMass Lowell because I wanted to stay close to home and commute. Beyond that though, I knew that UML had a really good business program with a plethora of opportunities to take advantage of.
What does it mean to you to be a first-generation college student?
Being a first generation student makes me feel very proud and a sense of importance. Being a college student in general gives me those same feelings but being first generation adds a whole different layer to that. You need to be a little more aware and hands-on with the school itself such as dealing with your tuition and parking passes. But knowing that I am able to do that without relying on anyone else is really special.
What inspires you to want to help first-generation students in the RHSA?
I remember exactly how scary it was going into my first year. It's probably scary for everyone but not having anyone to share my worries with was even scarier. Being first-gen you have to figure things out on your own, but being in RHSA created a huge relief. My peer leader was absolutely amazing and she helped me in more ways than she probably even knows. I want to be like that for someone. The person that they can go to for any types of questions or worries because I feel like after a year of navigating myself through campus, I could really help.