Photo courtesy of Natalie Correa
A common praise that Hofstra students have about the university is the ability to truly become part of a community and have a say in how it is run. Sophomore geography and sustainability studies major Natalie Correa is no exception to this, as she entered Hofstra without a clear academic focus but has since settled into her studies and extracurriculars.
Although Hofstra’s application waiver and scholarship offer were appealing to Correa, the beauty and convenience of the campus while providing an opportunity to grow as an individual stood out the most during her college search.
“I didn’t have a moment where I was like ‘Hmm, this is where I’m meant to be.’ But I looked at the trees and I was like, this looks like Central Park and [feels] kind of homey,” Correa said. “If I go here, it’s still close enough to home where I can travel back on my own. But in the case that I move here, I am still gonna be far enough away where I can develop on my own and not feel tethered and watched. Not that I’ve done anything extreme, but the ability to be able to grow is something that is important to me.”
Given how Correa was drawn to the beauty of the greenery at Hofstra, she took initiative to become involved with gardening on campus.
“I started doing work with the gardening stuff on campus originally through LEAF (Leaders for Environmental Action and Fellowship), which was partnered with the National Center for Suburban Studies,” Correa said.
Correa developed a strong resume in theater in high school, but when she entered college, she had a change of heart.
“I had already shadowed people on Broadway, and I had directed and written a bunch of shows and acted and performed in a lot of things already,” she said. “I felt really fulfilled by that and by achieving a lot of personal goals. And I think I got to a place where I wanted to change my focus to be on how I can improve the world.”
Ever since her first week at Hofstra, Correa has made strong connections with her professors, who are extremely valuable resources for her.
“[J. Bret Bennington] took just this little group of three new students around the department of [geology, environment and sustainability], and [we saw] just how much he knew and how excited he was to show us all these things,” she said. “He’s really been somebody that I’ve been able to work with, and I’ve been able to just do so much. I’m considering becoming a professor partly because of all the professors I have here, especially seeing the work that he does. I think having somebody in your corner who can see the great things that you’re doing just before you even know that you’re doing them is amazing.”
Correa enjoys the relatively small class sizes at Hofstra, developing strong connections with her peers and other professors.
“I was terrified of going to a big school to the point where I thought they were gonna forget about me,” she said. “I ended up not applying to many big schools because of that, coming from a high school with 250 kids. I think it’s really important to look out for how invested your professors can be and how invested they can afford to be in their students.”
Given the diversity of Hofstra’s student body, Correa is glad to be able to express all aspects of her identity and that her peers can do the same.
“I do value having my identifiers, and I like to throw in the fact that I’m queer and Afro-Latina,” Correa said. “I think it’s important for other people sometimes to just know that there’s a space for them.”
A hidden talent of Correa’s is her passion for playing the harmonica, continuing the musical experience from her high school days. It has helped her meet new people and entertain her friends, but her harmonica has raised a few eyebrows at unfortunate times.
“I have been stopped not once but twice because there’s a harmonica in my bag,” Correa said. “Once at Ellis Island and once at JFK International Airport, but I only was forced to play it once.”
Living in the moment over the years has served Correa well, leading to immense personal growth in and out of the classroom.
“I don’t think I would be at all close to where I am now,” Correa said, “if I didn’t just get Bread Club started or take a mapping class. That’s how I have another major. Spontaneity gets you so far, and the only way that you can really grow is to be spontaneous. And sometimes you just need to not think.”
