Rock Life: 20 Years Later

Today’s blog goes back to the Summer of 2003, as I achieved one degree and was going to work towards furthering my education. It’s August and I’m getting my stuff packed and ready to move in at Slippery Rock University. I would be living in Kraus Hall, a residence hall for non-traditional students, during my first year on campus.

Before I move on in this blog post, I want to give out Happy Birthday wishes. A happiest of birthdays to my longtime friend Rocco Cremonese who is celebrating his today. Rocco and I met during my first year at the Rock. We lived across the hall from each other on the second floor in Kraus. Rocco transferred from WCCC and graduated from Greater Latrobe. His brother Frank was also starting his freshman year, living in Rhoads Hall. Rocco and I became fast friends and spent a lot time watching football on Sundays. Our friendship has stood the test of time since graduation.

My first weekend at Slippery Rock was packed with fun, food, and fellowship with lots of incoming freshman and transfer students. For all returning students, it was back to reality that weekend as they started another year of school. For some it was their last and they would be thinking about the rest of their lives. Enjoy every minute of college and don’t take it for granted because you’ll never know when it’s gone.

We played fun trivia games and got to spend time at the baseball park located at the south end of campus. We enjoyed a movie under the stars. It was Bruce Almighty. Not the best film. but it gave us a few laughs. Not Jim Carrey or Morgan Freeman’s best role, but I was introduced to a hilarious guy named Steve Carell. He was a few years away from landing his greatest role of all time. That’s What She Said!

For me, the honeymoon would be over as soon as classes began Monday. That first week I was already in over my head. That would be a telling reminder of what the semester and school year was going to be like for me. I guess I shouldn’t have taken all those amenities at HGA for granted, like public transportation and not having to walk from building to building for all my classes.

The first semester was a learning experience for me (no pun intended) and it came equipped with many moments of humility. But I had good moments along the way. Just as the Pittsburgh Steelers struggled in 2003, so did I. They’d pick up their star QB in 2004 and improve their standing as an elite team. I would be destined to do the same at Slippery Rock.

I dealt with many obstacles along the way and made my share of mistakes. I fell behind in classes; got stressed out too many times; dealt with being broke (the terms poor and college student go together); and, had my heart broken. I did very well in my community college courses; however, my first semester and year at the Rock was going to be quite a different ballgame entirely. In the end, it would result in changes needing to be made to ensure future success down the line.

Despite my first semester struggles, I had my share of good times. This involved playing Madden in the dorm lounge and hanging out in Rocco and Steve’s room as well as playing Mario Kart: Double Dash on GameCube. I tried to find my place in the world and made a lot of friends in the clubs and ministries that I joined. I discovered the ARC (the Rec center on the south end of campus) which was one of my favorite buildings on campus and had one of the most beautiful designs.

While my first semester at HGA was a breeze, the first semester at Slippery Rock was a completely different storm. Even though I had been in college three years, I felt really lost in the shuffle. But you have to go through the rain to get to the rainbow. However, skies clear up and things do get better.