Sophia Malenfant ’23 and Maggie Powers ’23 Reflect on the Anxieties and New Beginnings Senior Year Presents 

Olivia Papp ’23

Managing Editor

While fall is creeping around the corner, more and more students have been heading back to school. Through the years, I have always been excited to come back to Trinity. Coming back to Trinity meant seeing my college friends again, learning from my professors, and walking around the gorgeous campus. For some students, including me, Trinity has always felt like a home away from home. However, coming back for my final year at Trinity, the air has felt different. I, along with other seniors, are beginning to realize that by this time next year our undergraduate careers will be finished, and our lives will be extremely different.

After having three years of experience at Trinity, seniors are supposed to act as role models, as we are expected to have a sense of maturity and wisdom. At the same time, seniors are supposed to be planning out the next steps for their careers as responsible adults would. I decided to speak with a few students about their experience as a senior on-campus so far.

Sophia Malenfant ’23 has attended Trinity College since freshman year. A double major in public policy and law and American studies with a minor in religious studies, Malenfant is bittersweet about entering her final year at Trinity.

She says, “Being a senior is different because next year we won’t be coming back to Trinity where our year is planned out for us. Instead, we will actually have to wait to get a job or perhaps go to grad school. I’m nervous to be on my own next year, and it will be weird to find out how much Trinity has prepared us. We won’t be in our Trinity bubble anymore, and, because of that, we will have to branch out to do something meaningful with our lives.”

As Malenfant reflected on being here for the past three years, she also said, “I feel a sense of responsibility for the younger students now. Since we are the oldest, it is now our job to guide the younger kids and show them what is good to do and what is not good to do.”

While senior year is a stressful time, Malenfant also highlighted some positive aspects of beginning her final year at Trinity.

“I’m happy that I almost have a bachelor’s degree so I can get better jobs. Again, I still will be sad to leave when I graduate,” she said. 

Maggie Powers ’23, an American studies major, has also been at Trinity since her freshman year. She has also begun to realize that this is her final year of her undergraduate career.

“It is an odd feeling being back on campus for our final year of undergrad. On one hand, I am thrilled to be living with my best friends again, but on the other hand, it is surreal that this year is marking an ending to such an amazing chapter. If anything, I would say that this year, so far, I have felt the most comfortable on campus being a senior, but it is crazy that soon we will be looking for jobs or the next things for our twenties. I honestly still feel like a sophomore because of all of the COVID-19 transitions.”

It is important for us seniors to keep in mind that this is our last year. Let’s make the most of it!