After the COVID-19 pandemic cut her freshman year short, a Marshall secondary education major says that she still enjoyed her time at the university.

In fact, Maddi Mace, a spring 2023 graduate from South Charleston, credits the university with her experience of returning to a sense of normalcy after an unconventional start to her four-year college career.

“It was a really different experience,” Mace said, “but I think Marshall did a really good job with integrating everyone back into in-person school so that we were able to have a more regular time. I’m happy that I get to end here on a positive note and have the in-person time and in-person class and all that stuff that I was expecting when I started here.”

Mace went on to say that she chose to go to Marshall because her mom also attended the university. 

“She was really excited to bring me down here when I was in high school and show me the campus and all the buildings and stuff,” Mace said. “I went to two Green and White Days just to get a feel for everything.”

Mace also said that she spent a lot of her time at Marshall being indecisive about her future career. She wishes that she could tell her freshman self to focus on the career path she wanted: education.

“I think it’s weird that we have to pick what we’re gonna do with our whole lives as soon as we graduate high school,” Mace said. “I spent a lot of time changing my mind when I knew I really just wanted to stay with teaching.”

Mace said that her favorite moments have been the “random things with my friends: like being here with everyone all the time; getting to just randomly go hang out in each other’s rooms or go shopping whenever we feel like it or, if you want to go get food, there’s always somebody that you can go with to the student center and get food.”

Spring graduates like Mace are currently submitting their graduation applications that are due by Jan. 27. Countdown to Commencement officially begins on Tuesday, Feb. 28, the first day that spring graduates can order their cap and gown.