Senior Hailey O'Connell smiles in front of Donahue's famous green. Photo courtesy of Hailey O'Connell.
By Hailey O'Connell
On my first day of college, I made a list of dreams I wanted to accomplish. Major nerd
move, I know, but as I was sitting in bed after a day of hellos and goodbyes and all things
uncertain, it felt important. My future felt like this big opportunity, and pinning down specifics
might make it seem more tangible. When struggling to write this reflection, (sorry it took me so
long copy editors), I stumbled upon this list in my notes app. So I figured I would list a couple of
the dreams that came true thanks to Stonehill.
1. Meet someone that found their calling and learn from them- Maureen Boyle. The woman,
the myth, the legend. There is a reason her photo is hanging in our staff office. To see
someone so passionate about her work and even more passionate about her students’ was
incredible. Her classes were always the highlight of my week, and I am eternally grateful
for her encouraging me to write and be a copy editor for The Summit.
2. Meet my people
3. Have a perfect day (or many perfect days) with said people
4. Get more piercings- Sorry Mom and Dad!
5. Do something terrifying- I auditioned for Surround Sound my freshman year after my
mom encouraged me to. I was so nervous to see their reactions; I didn’t even wear my
contacts when I sang my audition song. But before I knew it, I found a second family in
the group. It also checked off my dream of attempting to be a soprano.
6. Pull an all-nighter (for both cool and uncool reasons)
7. Make an unexpected friend- Shout out to Eaton, the pig who made the library first floor
even more special!
8. Return to an old hobby- Thank you to Prof. Popa for inspiring me to attempt piano again!
As I look at my list from August 2016, I find myself laughing. All of my dreams were
checked off at Stonehill except one: I still haven’t met Lady Gaga. I love Lady Gaga a lot, but
I’m very confident in saying I love my friends and the experiences Stonehill has given me even
more.
I have always been a chronic daydreamer, and that will never change, but after Stonehill,
one important thing has changed: the people in my dreams. I imagine Mel teaching, Molly
moving to Scotland, Surround Sound coming up with cool arrangements, Phil Pereira continuing
to be the best, my creative writing people publishing their work after countless Zoom calls and
edits, all my friends accomplishing what they want, and I can’t wait to cheer them on.
How beautiful to have lived in a space where we could reach for the stars. Currently, it
feels we are not in the best environment to dream. The world and its future seem more difficult
to navigate than usual; an extra bit of intangibility was thrown our way. Until it is safe for the
crazy dreams to take fruition, I will stay inside and think about the simpler ones: being able to
hug a friend, see my best buddy, and being able to celebrate graduation with my peers when the
time comes.
Thank you, Class of 2020, I will see you all again. Until then, you’ll be in my dreams.
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