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Sarah Niemi '24
When Sarah Niemi ’24 stepped onto Marywood’s campus, she knew Marywood was where she belonged.
Niemi said Marywood separated itself as the place where she could reach her fullest potential due to the unique combination of small faculty-to-student ratio, academic excellence, and a supportive community.
“I chose to attend Marywood compared to other colleges/universities because of the excellent 5-year speech pathology program. I felt like I belonged in this program at Marywood instead of other colleges/universities because of the smaller class sizes and how welcoming the staff and students were within my first encounters on campus.”
Now two years into her Marywood career, Niemi is certainly making her mark at Marywood.
A Dean’s List student, Niemi is well on her way to becoming an excellent speech-language pathologist (SLP.)
“Marywood is helping me get closer to my goals because it has allowed me to gain skills that I never imagined I would have the opportunity to gain,” said Niemi.
The role of an SLP is to help others find their voices, and Niemi has certainly found hers. A leader on campus, Niemi said that Marywood has helped her to explore and thrive in new opportunities.
“My greatest lesson I have learned while attending Marywood is that you should
put yourself into situations that you feel uncomfortable in (within reason). At the beginning of my first year at Marywood, I kept to myself because it was a new environment and I was scared to be judged. At the end of that year, I started to apply for MAC, Orientation, and SGA– I began to put myself out there. This was the best idea I could have done for myself because I have grown greatly as an individual and met my closest friends through these activities,” said Niemi.
Niemi is grateful to our donors for the opportunity to explore the richness of a Marywood education.
“The financial aid that I receive has allowed me the opportunity to further my education. I am so grateful for the aid that I received because being able to attend Marywood has allowed me to meet new people, gain leadership skills, and pursue the career I aspire to achieve,” said Niemi.
Niemi is very grateful for this generosity, and it has inspired her to, one day, help future Pacers through giving of her own.
“I would thank the donors many, many times because their donations have allowed me to have the opportunity of furthering my education and eventually giving back to the community once I graduate.”
This past year has been an incredibly fruitful one for Niemi.
“This past year, I have accomplished many things, such as joining different organizations where I have met so many new friends, maintaining my academics, being selected as an Orientation Co-Chair, and meeting my closest friends,” said Niemi.
Being named Orientation Co-Chair is a particularly exciting opportunity for Niemi. She hopes to help the next class of Pacers feel that same sense of belonging she felt from day one.
Although she has a full plate and much left to accomplish at Marywood, Niemi has an eye to the future.
“My goals and dreams for the future change often, but one of the things that has stayed consistent is that I want to continue to grow to be the best version of myself and a speech-language pathologist [that I can be].”
