“When I first got into high school, I experienced a lot of bullying. It was a really tough time, which led to major mental health issues. I had a teacher I really liked, and there were students who were plotting to get him fired just because they didn’t like him. There was a review process he was undergoing; the vice principle had come to review him. The kids created a plan [to act] in such a way that the teacher had no control over his class, and they did do that; they succeeded in showing that and asked me to be a part of it. I just didn’t have it in me – I had integrity, I couldn’t go through with a plan like that. After the class ended, I followed the vice principal back to the office. I told her everything that had happened, what they had planned. I gave [her] the messages they were exchanging with me saying that they were going to do this. They found out that I had done this and they … they tormented me for it. They pushed me down stairs, it was terrible. That lead to a really difficult time for me. I feel like Hofstra was a way to turn over a new leaf, it was a new experience for me. I met some of the best people I’ve ever gotten to know at this university. I met my girlfriend. I met teachers that have supported me in ways that I never thought anyone else could. [I’ve created] connections I feel like are going to last the rest of my life. Hofstra has really given that to me, and I feel like if I had gone anywhere else, I would never have gotten this experience. It allowed me to escape from things I had experienced in my home town and also the quality of people Hofstra has to offer seems much more mature, they’re just nicer in general. It’s social-based, they value character over material things.”