Hello all, my name is Nicholas Panico and I’m a freshman at SBU here in the scholars program. My hopeful major is chemical and molecular engineering, and this scholar class is the only course in my schedule that is not about math or science. I’ve been gunning to come to school here for a few years now, as this school has always been cheap, strong on science, and very close to home.

My home, the one that isn’t here at SBU, is in a small town twenty minutes away called Miller Place. If you aren’t from Long Island, all you really need to know is that it’s in close proximity to Port Jefferson. I come from a family of five, and I am rather close to them, so my ability to remain near them was a deciding factor in selecting this college. If I don’t visit home enough, my dog or my brother will claim my bed, and to be honest I’m still rather fond of it.

I am excited about this coming academic year. Like almost everyone around me, this is the first time I’ve had to be really responsible for my time and for my actions. There’s a certain element of fear and apprehension that accompanies it, but that makes it all the more thrilling. The more unknown the situation, the more you can uncover about your personality and abilities. To me, this isn’t about leaving your comfort zone, but learning to expand it to new situations.

I hope this was concise enough for any who may be reading it, and I look forward to my time in this course. I hope all of the good things I’ve heard can be validated personally quite soon. For whomever exactly I’m addressing (all the scholars?, some?, none?), I anticipate that we will share some good times.