October 7, 2025 — Adjusting to college life can be exciting, but also overwhelming—especially for students navigating new academic, social, and personal challenges all at once. At Marist, a holistic support network ensures students don’t face these transitions alone.

Carina Pascucci '26 embodies the Marist experience as a student-athlete and double STEM major who balances academics, athletics, and campus involvement while making full use of campus resources. Like many first-year college students, she faced uncertainty at the start, but with the supports offered by Marist, she found her direction and built a foundation for success.

"When I first arrived, I wasn’t sure I’d picked the right major and felt nervous about switching to something I knew could be harder academically,” Carina said. “Fortunately, with the right tools and support from my advisors, professors, and tutoring services, I was able to turn that anxiety into excitement.”

Carina in Marist Donnelly Green House, poses for ONWARD, a magazine showcasing remarkable Marist students shaping the future. Photo by Claire Kenny '25.

Every student’s path and learning experience is unique. That’s why Marist provides academic and adjustment support designed to meet students’ individual needs, helping them build strong study habits, discover their strengths, and form connections with mentors and peers who can guide them through challenges.

“It’s important for students and parents to know that people here link arms across departments to support students through the inevitable challenges of college—academic, personal, and social,” said Andrea Conner, Vice President of Student Affairs. “Our role is to ensure students feel supported academically and connected to a community they can rely on, whether that’s through spiritual life, accommodations, student activities, inclusion and belonging initiatives, or by helping them engage with clubs, teams, residence halls, or study abroad opportunities.”

Navigating Change with Guidance

 
Carina leads her rowing team as a coxswain on the Hudson River. Photo courtesy of Marist Athletics.

Carina switched to a double major in Biology and Environmental Science, with Political Science as a minor. Making the leap from her old major to STEM felt daunting, especially as a busy D1 student-athlete on the Women’s Rowing Team.

Carina has had as many as five different advisors who have guided her through classes, research, honors, and athletics, helping her stay on track to reach her goals and graduate on time. At Marist, that level of guidance is the norm.

“Students soon learn that their corner is a wonderfully crowded one, as there are so many people in it with them,” said Assistant Dean of Student Engagement & Leadership, Robin Diller Torres. “Each new student has a network that includes advisors, faculty, their First Year Experience Coordinator, peer mentors, and residential staff, along with special programs, with learning specialists, athletic advisors, and HEOP counselors. From Cheryl in the Dining Hall to Ann in Security, to your SGA representatives, everyone at Marist plays a part in helping students succeed.”

Interconnected Support Across Campus

 
Carina presents research at CURSCA. Photo courtesy of Carina Pascucci '26.

In her sophomore year, Carina enrolled in calculus and regularly dropped into the Math Lab—a peer tutoring center that made a big difference in her transition into the math and sciences, according to Carina. Today, she continues to make the most of peer tutoring, this time for a challenging organic chemistry class.

Beyond academics, Carina has embraced Marist’s full spectrum of services. She’s expressed her gratitude for the incredible people who have supported her at Marist Counseling Services, the care she's received at Health Services, and a peer mentor group where she now mentors fellow student-athletes on different teams through the Center for Student-Athlete Enhancement.

“It’s really nice to feel like you’re not alone,” she said. “Everyone here is balancing so much, so it's nice to know we can really lean on each other.”

Paying It Forward

 
Carina observes Lupines in the Westmann Islands, Iceland, as part of her environmental science attachment class last spring. Photo courtesy of Carina Pascucci '26.

Carina’s experiences have come full circle through her on-campus job in Enrollment Services as a student assistant. She often fields calls from prospective students and parents expressing concern about balancing academics, athletics, extracurriculars, and student life.

“I tell them about all the support we have as students and that they can definitely succeed here,” she said. “When I explain that I’m doing really well as a student-athlete with a double STEM major, a job, and other commitments, they feel reassured.”

Now thriving in STEM and her Honors Program, Carina has traveled to Iceland on a Marist attachment program and is actively engaged in research with plans to pursue a PhD. The support she’s received at Marist has inspired her to imagine her own future in academia, where she can continue her research while also teaching and guiding students along their own paths.

“At Marist, students enter into an interconnected network that begins on their first day and extends through Commencement and beyond,” said Dr. Carol Rinke, Assistant Provost for Student Success and Professor of Education. “Our work is grounded in Peter Felten’s idea of relationship-rich education, understanding that each interaction is a form of mentoring, and each member of our community plays a role in student success. We particularly emphasize the warm handoff in helping students access the academic resources that complement their classroom experience.”