The Spire

Viveca Stucke ‘26

Chief Features Editor

As their time at Holy Cross comes to an end, graduating seniors are reflecting on the moments, challenges, and communities that have defined their journey on Mount St. James. Through involvement in clubs, service opportunities, academic growth, and leadership roles, they discovered not only who they are but who they become. Their experiences offer valuable advice to anyone on their college journey through sharing how they built community, navigated change, and pursued their passions. These seniors, Claire Wolf, Grace Conroy, Deborah Adekunle, and Rachel Derocco highlight the heart of their Holy Cross experiences through reflecting on their time. 

1. What experiences shaped your time at Holy Cross?

• Claire Wolf: 1. My involvement in various clubs, like SGA, Pax Christi, and Run Club, have particularly shaped my time at Holy Cross. I also loved my time with AIP and the DC program!
• Grace Conroy: So many! I’m lucky to have been in a really intellectually stimulating Montserrat, with a professor who encouraged my and my peers’ growth both in and outside the classroom. That foundation encouraged me to branch out academically and socially, attending lectures, signing up for clubs like choir and Pax Christi, trying research, and throwing myself at each possible opportunity, where I’ve grown in every sphere of my life.
• Deborah Adekunle: My time was shaped by early morning Kimball Girls breakfasts, living in Healy 3 sophomore year, countless hours in my neuroscience lab, my education CBL placement at Vernon Hill, annual Spring Break Immersion trips, late nights tucked away in the Science Library, the mentorship of professors who believed in me, and all the unique opportunities I found through Holy Cross. 
• Rachel Derocco: My experiences with Spring Break Immersion as a participant and leader, my time as a CBL Intern volunteering with Hospice and WPS Transition, and my time with Residence Life and Housing that introduced me to some of my best friends! 

2. If you could go back to freshman year, what advice would you give yourself?

• Claire Wolf: Prioritize taking care of yourself more than you do and actually go to office hours. 
• Grace Conroy: Attend the Spiritual Exercises as soon as you can! They will change your life.
• Deborah Adekunle: Knowing what I know now, I would advise my freshman self to be brave, trust the process, take more risks early on, embrace discomfort more readily and know that growth often happens outside of your comfort zone.
• Rachel Derocco: Advice I would give to my freshman year self is to give yourself time to adjust and learn more about yourself! College does not come easily and you need to take a step back to learn what you want to gain from this experience. 

3. What did you learn about being part of a community?

• Claire Wolf: If you are intentional about who you spend your time with and if you invest a lot of effort into people who care about you, they make the difficult moments a lot easier. People who love you in a community love you exactly as you are.
• Grace Conroy: People cannot and should not be pigeonholed – each person has a unique worldview and valuable perspective. When we take the time to seek out and learn from others’ viewpoints, we strengthen our community by interweaving each of our graces.
• Deborah Adekunle: I learned that true community is built through intentionality, vulnerability, and a shared commitment to lifting each other up.
• Rachel Derocco: Being a community involves building relationships with people of different backgrounds and goals!

4. In what ways did you grow and change while at Holy Cross?

• Claire Wolf: I think Holy Cross has taught me to slow down and reflect more. I have learned to be kinder to myself and others and to not be afraid to apologize when I have done something wrong. I also learned that if I open up about difficult experiences, I often find many people in the same boat as me.
• Grace Conroy: I am surely not the same person I was in August of 2021, and I know that girl would be proud to meet the person I am now. I have grown in my willingness to explore new possibilities—both social and academic, and in recognition of my values and the grounding principles I hope to carry with me in all I do.
• Deborah Adekunle:  I grew into a more confident, resilient, and reflective person, learning to lead with both heart and purpose.
• Rachel Derocco: I believe I have grown to be much more social and involved in my community on and off campus. 

5. What are you most proud of accomplishing while at Holy Cross?

• Claire Wolf: I am most proud of my time as SGA Co-President. I think that Ruth and I have done a lot of behind-the-scenes work that promotes student wellbeing and will better HC in the years to come.
• Grace Conroy:  I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made in making decisions and pursuing paths that are right for me, and not following what might be perceived as the correct route. It is this growth that has led me to commit to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, an organization I believe will provide a path forward to continue learning from the Jesuit model of living.
• Deborah Adekunle: I’m most proud of building bridges — between disciplines, between people, and within myself — and of honoring the spaces and communities, like CASA, that helped me find my voice.
• Rachel Derocco: My biggest accomplishment is becoming an Head Resident Assistant my junior year, and being a semifinalist for intramural basketball! 

Through their time at Holy Cross, these seniors have clearly expressed the importance of getting involved through clubs, academics, service, or leadership, and how it shapes their college experience. These seniors have emphasized the importance of being brave, prioritizing self care, embracing discomfort, and looking for opportunities to grow. They’ve learned that true community is built through relationships, vulnerability, and the different perspectives that each person brings to the table. Over the years, they have grown into more confident, reflective, and engaged members of the community. Holy Cross is a rigorous experience, one that forces students to not only grow academically, but become transformed on a personal level. As the year wraps up and these students are facing their last days on the hill, reflecting on their experience not only helps themselves, but those around them to understand the true importance of Holy Cross. 

Featured image courtesy of Michael Ivins