At the beginning of this 2^nd year of mine in the program it was a bit upset about not seeing last year’s friends in Smeal who graduated some months ago. I was wondering if I could make friends easily with 1^st years although I felt they were very sociable during the Visitation Weekend before summer. I decided not to keep raising questions but instead spend time on getting closer to them. On the first day of school I took advantage of the coffee break between the classes to talk with 1^st years. After 30 minutes, I felt very happy because they were all so open with tight handshakes and friendly smiles.

That first impression encouraged me to reach out confidently to 1^st years. So far whoever 1^st years I talk with I always feel as if we were friends beforeJ. Both 2^nd years and 1^st years are together preparing for the Diwali event next weekend. This is very explicit proof of a friendship growing very fast between the 2 classes. I am sure that friendship will help us to not only help one another more but also together make unforgettable memories at Smeal:P.

-Phuong-Ahn Tran, MBA Class of 2012