IC Is the Place for Me: Student Stories, Told by Students

Riley Freedman '27 at Stewart Park in Ithaca.

Riley Freedman '27 at Stewart Park in Ithaca.

Before deciding on Ithaca College, Riley did a lot of research on the school and the surrounding area. He toured 15 schools-IC twice. It was the Roy H. Park School of Communications that impressed him the most. He said that the Park professors "seemed to really care about what they were doing." This, coupled with Park's opportunities for student work at The Ithacan office, the Park photo gallery, and the ICTV studios, made him feel like this was the right place for him to begin his journey into a new academic and creative world.

Like most incoming students, Riley worried in the lead-up to his first semester that he might struggle to make friends. Once he settled in, however, he was able to easily find groups of people that he connected with. His advice for incoming students who might have the same concerns is to do what he did: "Don't be scared to take up an opportunity [or] to talk to someone. Just kind of do it and it makes adjusting a whole lot easier."

Making those friends is an active process. Riley came from a small high school with a graduating class of only 30 students. In that environment, he recalls feeling locked into who he knew. After some time on campus, Riley started being intentional about who he spent his time with. "You start to learn who are the people you thrive around and who are the people you don't." He says that this was an important learning curve that helped him to improve his ability to maintain long-term relationships.

In discussing the initial adjustments to life on campus, Riley also brought up a struggle that many students have: managing their time. In those first few months, Riley made sure to set a schedule for himself where he aimed to complete all his work by the late afternoon so that he could have the rest of the day to himself. Academics are a crucial aspect of the college experience, but students also need plenty of time to decompress and engage in other campus activities-a valuable habit to form in early adulthood.

Riley and the friends he's made on campus.

Riley and the friends he's made on campus.

One of the resources at IC that has been most helpful for Riley's success is his academic advisor and assistant professor of media, arts, sciences, and studies Nick Bennett. Academic advisors provide students with guidance during class registration and are also available to meet about anything a student might need during their time here. Riley says Bennett has been a sounding board for him to discuss his experience at IC and just an overall wonderful mentor. In fact, he gives Bennett much of the credit for opening the possibility of the English and Education Studies minor he's pursuing.

"We don't need to limit our careers to one thing; we just need to be ourselves."

"I'm doing a lot of stuff that I'm really proud of that I didn't really know I'd be doing."

Riley performing with the campus acapella group, Pitch Perfect.

Riley performing with the campus acapella group, Pitch Perfect.

Once Riley had fully adjusted to his new life on campus and he felt comfortable academically, he applied for a job as an admissions host for IC. For Riley, the joy of giving tours is two-fold. It really scratches the performing arts itch (Riley has participated in theatre from a young age). He also pinpointed his time at IC saying, "I've had a wonderful experience here, and I think it is worth trying to tell people about it and hoping that they can have the same experience."

What Riley thinks a lot of students might not realize before they come to college is how much extracurriculars can become a part of their life. In reference to his own extracurriculars he said, "I'm doing a lot of stuff that I'm really proud of that I didn't really know I'd be doing." It's important for incoming students to understand that there will be many demands on their time at IC, and the more they engage with different experiences, the more they will gain, and the more connected they will feel.

He also found that connection is paramount to the college experience-both in connection to peers and to the content with which he interacts.

Riley took a class called From the Margins: European Social History, which focused on the lives of marginalized peoples in Europe before the 21st century, and it was incredibly eye-opening. The class helped him to develop a deeper understanding of societal patterns, allowing him to feel better equipped to make an effort to change the world around him because he was able to foster a real closeness with this content and history.

Finally, when Riley and I discussed how he will feel when he graduates and goes out into the "real world," there are some things he said he will miss about his life on South Hill. For one, Riley really enjoys the structure that the academic environment provides. It creates a safe and structured world for students to grow and learn about themselves, so they are better equipped to handle the world independently.

The thing he will miss most is being so close to all of his friends. Ithaca College, with its beautiful natural landscape and shining community, is the perfect place for that kind of growth and joy.

Gabe Hendershot, '27 is an Ithaca College junior majoring in Film, Photography, and Visual Arts. He enjoys all kinds of creation and wants to tell the stories of the people who have, just like him, found a home at IC