When Anya McGlaughlin ’25 transferred to Arcadia University in fall 2023, she wasn’t sure what to expect. After years of online classes during the pandemic and starting college at Harrisburg Area Community College, the shift to in-person learning at a new campus was a big one.

“Last year was the first time that I’ve been in-person for school since high school,” said McGlaughlin, the Criminology and Criminal Justice major. “But Arcadia’s a very welcoming community.”

When she was adjusting to campus, she hoped there would be some type of a mentor available to her, so when Arcadia created that very position she was quick to apply for the role.

“My boss, Maria [DeAngelis], she’s great,” McGlaughlin said. “She’s been very open to knowing how to better the position and what the transfer students need. Then during Welcome Week, I was just happy to see some of the things that I had said would be beneficial to the students were incorporated.”

McGlaughlin and two other mentors support assigned cohorts of transfer students. “I still reach out to the students throughout the semester just to see if there’s anything that they need,” she said. “Transfer students are very different from first-year students because we’ve already been through all this. It’s just a different environment.

“I’m just proud to at least know that they know that there’s somebody who is specifically there for them. It’s just like a resource and just somebody to talk to.”

The Honors Program also played a major role in her transition. From small, discussion-based classes to travel opportunities, it helped McGlaughlin find her footing.

“Arcadia’s Honors Program focuses more on leadership and community-building, and it’s a very different experience from what I’ve had,” McGlaughlin explained. “It taught me that our perception of what a leader is, isn’t always exactly what a leader is. You can be quiet and introverted and still be a leader.”

Within the Honors Program, she was able to quickly adjust to life at Arcadia and fully involved herself in the Honors community.

“The Honors Program is very close-knit,” said McGlaughlin. “So you have the same classes with people. Even with me only being here for my fourth semester, I still know a lot of people, especially with The Study of Self and Teams class, we all still know each other. So it has made me have a closer connection with Arcadia because of that.”

She joined the Honors Council, traveled abroad through a Preview the World course to Dublin, Ireland, and spent a month studying Criminology and International Relations in Sterling, Scotland, last summer. 

Recently, McGlaughlin completed her capstone project on public policy and gender disparities faced by trans women in prisons. Though she’s not sure of her exact career path yet, she’s focused on values: “I just know that I want to do something where I feel like I’m helping people.”

From her first view of Grey Towers Castle to becoming a leader for fellow transfer students, McGlaughlin has made Arcadia her own.