By 
My last editorial concentrated on one of my least favorite things about this school, but in the interest of balance, I’ve come to share what I appreciate most about being a Saint.
Less exciting, sure, but just as important.
The summer before my freshman year, I was hiking in the middle of nowhere, Oregon, with a Carroll College hat. We ran into an older woman who shouted “GO SAINTS” from across the trail and stopped to say hello. I was nervous about going to college, so hearing her go on and on about how much she loved Carroll was something I needed to hear.
After spending several years here, I’ve learned that there are people like her all over our student body, faculty, and alumni, people that are willing to go out of their way to be kind to others. Though I came to college looking to make lifelong friendships, I didn’t expect to appreciate the wider community as much as I do. There are fellow Saints across the country who love to talk about their time at Carroll. I enjoy that I can bond over the breathless journey up St. Charles’ steps with my mom’s coworker’s husband and shock my friends’ cousin when I tell her there are no longer seminarians living in Borromeo.
I know that networks of friendships are not unique to Carroll, and I could have built relationships at any college, but my family’s history with the college has made me appreciate them so much more.
My grandfather, Ed Moriarity, graduated in the class of 1963, a few years before my grandma Ann Moriarity (‘65). My grandfather and I were a lot alike, but he was always quite specifically proud that we were both Carroll College Saints. My grandfather passed away two years ago this month, but it gives me great solace to know that I sleep in the same dorm building and enjoy a good Helena sunset just as he did.
Being at Carroll has provided a steady connection to people like my grandpa, my grandma, my mom (’89), and random people I see at the Minneapolis airport. Those connections have brought me closer to members of my family and made me feel like I’m a part of something.
I’m nervous about what graduating this spring will mean for my friendships, but I’m confident that being a part of the Carroll community will help keep us together.
