“During my youth I would spend time playing video games and traveling with my family for vacation. I got to experience very exotic locations with them and had fun whenever I got to do activities with my family. When I started gaming at a young age, I would be fascinated with retro games that came out around the 2000s like Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Star Wars Battlefront. As time went on I would have difficulty trying to find new friends or bond with any of my classmates. Most them considered me a geek over games and movies that peaked my interest. My peers never really had the same interest I had which made it hard for me at first, but I was able to connect with some students.

Ever since freshman year of Lakeland, I have become a part of the theater group by doing performances with my castmates. It is something that gets me involved with on campus along by practicing rehearsals for any plays and singing with the acapella group as well. This has helped me build an identity with many peers on campus as it has given me more connections as many recognize the type of involvement I do at Lakeland University. With that I’ve made more friends here than I did in grade school which has been a big step for me. My peers can communicate with me and I found the right type of people I can call a family.” – Thomas