Jessie Pinto, Immaculata Chapter Member, Class of 2028

Being a student leader in my CogWell chapter has really changed my perspective on my college experiences personally. I have always wanted to make an impact and help others. CogWell gave me a space to do this. I started at CogWell as just someone who wanted to make new friends and have something to do and it turned it to something so much more. CogWell gives everyone a place to be themselves and speak their minds, for me it was a place where I could play to my strengths and be a leader. It also gave me a place to be creative and social. Ever since I was a kid I was very social and loved being around people. It was perfect for me to get to be social and lead others in self care practices.

When I first came to college it was isolating being in a new place and not knowing many people. So finding CogWell freshman year was perfect timing. I have learned so much about myself while being in CogWell as well. I have learned that I am capable of having hard conversations and being there for strangers. I have learned to open up and lead by example. Most importantly I have learned to put myself in other people's shoes and try to view things from their perspective. This was definitely an area of growth for me, because I always want to try and help others or fix things but that does not always help people feel listened too. Overall, personally CogWell has been life changing for me and I am so grateful to be a student leader