The moment I stepped through the front doors, something changed. I was no longer consumed by nerves. I suddenly felt calm and at ease, like this school was my long lost home. As the day progressed, and I listened to each of the speaker’s presentations I realized that I wanted to be just like those students who stood before me: confident, intelligent, and involved.

I never realized that I was unhappy attending Winthrop until I visited Saint Dom’s. Winthrop had offered me a great education, but I just felt as if something was off, as if I wasn’t fulfilling my potential. I was part of the gifted and talented program at my middle school and received good grades, and because of that I was thrown into the category of a “try-hard.” Trying hard to achieve academic success should always be something to strive for, but I felt as if my efforts stuck a permanent and singular mark on my back. I didn’t want to be just one thing.

I chose Saint Dom’s because it offered me the freedom to fully develop myself in all aspects, including spiritually, academically, and personally. Every member of the student body wears many different hats. No one at Saint Dom’s can be purely labeled with one word. I’ve had the privilege of being the president of the National Honor Society, while being one of the captains of my soccer and alpine ski teams. At Saint Dom’s I get to be Sam, not just one aspect of myself.

Although it’s cliché, my experience here has been nothing less than extraordinary. I’ve honestly loved every moment of my years spent at Saint Dom’s. Even waking up on Monday mornings isn’t so difficult when you truly love the school that you attend. Every time I pass a teacher in the hallway they always ask how I’m doing, and they genuinely care. I remember one time I was having a completely terrible day. You know just one of those where everything that could possibly go wrong, does. I had spilled juice, literally all over my pants at lunch, and was stressing out because I had huge AP Calculus and AP U.S. History tests the next day. The bell had just rung and I was heading to my locker when one of my teachers called my name out as I passed by his classroom. He asked me if I was doing all right because I seemed like I had a lot on my plate. We talked for about an hour, and the conversation didn’t end until I was finally confident that I had the situation under control and could succeed on my exams. All of the teachers genuinely care about their students’ academic success, but also their personal well-being.

A word of advice to prospective students: Your decision about Saint Dom’s is all about you and your family. Take the opportunity to visit our school, ask as many questions as you want to. If you find yourself wanting to know more, or are interested in attending Saint Dom’s, I urge you to shadow a student for an entire school day. See what a typical day is like here. Try to picture yourself playing on our sports teams, involved in our clubs, walking through these halls, and attending classes. Trust your instincts; I hope you’ll find walking through the doors of Saint Dom’s to feel like coming home, just like I did.