As a first-year, senior Meg Hanley remem­bers being overwhelmed and nervous upon ar­riving on campus. Today, Hanley is one of the enthusiastic members of Link Staff welcoming students to the Colgate campus.

“I loved being able to re-live Arrival Day every year. Everything that is right about Colgate is seen on Arrival Day. It’s Colgate at its best,” the senior explained. “It’s en­thusiastic, crowded and the weather is usu­ally nice. I love seeing the connection when people introduce themselves to others for the first time.”

The geography major from Baltimore, Maryland heard of Colgate through her broth­er, who suggested the school to her when she started applying to colleges. Hanley’s brother told her she would love the school, and she quickly learned that he was right.

During her time at Colgate, Hanley has discovered the uniqueness of the people on campus.

“Everyone has different inside interests that are revealed over four years. You re­ally learn that people have diverse trains of thought and diverse interests,” she said.

Although Hanley was nervous coming into Colgate, the self-described “quirky, loyal, and interested” senior is becoming emotional at the thought of leaving.

“I find myself having sentimental waves. I like how Colgate changes over the course of four years. There are more opportunities to take as you know more people and get to know professors better. You become so much more connected than you were as a freshman,” she said.

Hanley spends her time on campus as a student member of the First-Year Expe­rience Advisory Board; a member of the Senior Class Gift Committee; participates in Club Sailing; is a member of Gamma Theta Upsilon (the geography honor soci­ety); and Konosioni and is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

The senior studied abroad in Buenos Ai­res, Argentina her junior year, where she was able to make great friends with people from Colgate that she didn’t know beforehand.

“It was the perfect mix of city life and the ability to get out to Patagonia where we explored and went ice climbing,” Hanley said.

After graduation, Hanley is looking forward to starting her post-graduate internship with National Geographic in Washington, DC.

The senior urges other students to give everything a try at Colgate, which Hanley has certainly done over the past four years.

“Don’t say no to anything. There is no reason not to go for it, whatever it is.”