Delaney Marchiol

I’m an only child, and family is a huge part of my life. We’re a small knit family where I’m the only grandchild and only niece, so we’ve always been very close. I was born and raised in Marquette so going to NMU made sense because I would be able to be close to them and be able to see them whenever I wanted. And leaving to go downstate even crossed my mind but I thought NMU would be a good place to get my foot in the door of what college would feel like. However, I do plan to leave Marquette to go to grad school after I get my major, but I didn’t feel the need to leave Marquette right out of high school like a lot of my classmates did. I believe NMU was the safer and more realistic option for me.

I love animals, plain and simple. I cry whenever I watch Up or Bambi, and I mostly root for the animals to stay alive in movies if there are any. I have always had a soft spot for animals, and I also knew that I wanted to help people and make a difference. I also sucked at almost every other school subject, so I’m kinda stuck with having a career in the science field. But bringing my love of animals and science together solidifed my major of biology with a concentration in veterinary medicine. I also have always thought it would be so cool to work with animals and diagnose what’s happening with them. I realllyyyy like detective shows where you have to put the clues together to solve the case, and I feel like that’s what vet medicine is all about because the animals can’t actually tell you what’s wrong with them. You’re putting together the clues that their owners provide and then what’s actually going on with their bodies.

Last summer I was offered the amazing opportunity to work at Marquette Vet clinic out in Harvey. I had a clinical there through my high schools Heath Occupation program and I absolutely loved it. They offered me a job there last spring and I just had to take it. The staff is wonderful and I’ve been learning so much from both veterinarians that work there. It’s a real insider to what vets actually do and all the time and effort they put into the animals. Plus, I get to see dogs and cats everyday, which I definitely can’t complain about. But it’s been an awesome experience and I’m very grateful that they gave me the opportunity to work there and watch what they do. They’re some of the smartest people I’ve ever met and it’s been an honor to watch them do what they love and are extremely good at.

Not much right now, but definitely moving forward I’m going to be more involved. I work at the Marquette Vet Clinic during the summer and Public Safety during the fall, so I try to keep busy with work. And I’m also in Superior Edge and are going to focus more on being more involved with that organization as well. These past 2 semesters for me we're getting a feel for the college experience, and I spent most of it trying to balance school life, work life, and just actual life. But now that I saw what the first 2 semesters were like and what my semesters look like going forward, I will definitely try to be more open and involved in the NMU community.

I don’t think I can do this trip justice on how truly amazing it was and how greatly it impacted me. I also don’t think I have the right words or even the amount of words to describe how much this trip actually meant to me. I’ve always wanted to travel out of Marquette to just see what else is out there. It’s such a safe bubble here and there’s a whole world out there that’s waiting to be seen. And so this trip was a huge eye opener and once in a lifetime experience for me. The people, the food, the architecture, all of it was awesome. I don’t think there was anything about this trip that I truly didn’t like. Well, maybe the pigeons. Those things had noooooo fear whatsoever. Pretty sure I was more scared of them then they were of me. The architecture by far was my favorite part of the trip. Seeing the Parthenon and the Acropolis in person was unbelievable. And seeing all the ruins around Greece that have been standing for almost 4000 years blew my mind. To have walked some of the very same streets that people did 4000-5000 years before I did was hard to wrap my head around. Everything was just so beautiful. And the islands were as amazing as the pictures. Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Turkey. Huge tourists attractions but still breathtaking all the same. The cruise was awesome too. I mean to be on a cruise in the Mediterranean sea sailing to Greek islands while tanning? Doesn’t really get much better than that. 

The people on the trip also hold a special place in my heart. Not to get too sappy, but spending 24 hours with the same people for 2 weeks really brings you together. But it was awesome because everyone came from different areas and different friend groups outside of this trip, and I don’t think I would’ve gotten close to this group outside of the trip. These are friendships that I hope last a super long time. 

The food was also sooo good. The gyros were amazing, and the gelato was TO DIE FOR. All around, definitely would go back for just the food. 

The memories from this trip will last forever, and I will always look back and remember the wonderful times had in Greece. It was well worth the price and 10 ½ hour flight. It was an unreal experience and I’m so grateful I was able to experience it.

Great way to meet new people and potentially new cultures/experiences. It’s a really good way to get out of your comfort zone/shell if you’re an incoming student looking to meet new people and are coming from a different place. For me it was great because most of my high school friends left to go to college elsewhere, so Superior Edge offered a way for me to meet new people in a very chill environment and gave me a way to branch out. It’s also run by super great people and everyone is welcome. Overall I definitely recommend a program like this, especially when there’s the potential for traveling to a different country. That’s definitely not the main reason to join, but it’s an added bonus. Because of the superior edge program and the opportunity they gave me to travel, I had the best experience I might ever have.

If NMU feels like the right fit for them, then they should definitely follow their gut and come here. For me, I was worried about coming to NMU because I was saying goodbye to some of my closest friends who were going to different colleges, and I was coming into NMU a newly fresh 1st year with no idea how college was gonna go. But now looking back I knew I made the right choice. I enjoy being in Marquette a lot, and NMU is a great place to start. Small enough to not be overwhelming, but big enough to meet/see new people everyday. It’s all about doing what’s right for you, and where your gut/heart is leading you. And, if it turns out that NMU just isn’t the vibe, there’s always transferring. Some advice I would’ve liked when I was making my college decision: “Do what is right for you, and only listen to yourself.” Don’t do what your friends are doing, or what your parents want you to do. It’s your life, do what you want with it.