Jocelyn Treadwell wore her gray and purple backpack on one shoulder and walked in the second floor of Corbett Center with the freshman swagger.  Jocelyn is a graduate of the 2017 class at Volcano Vista high school in Albuquerque, where she was known to have a contagious and humorous personality.  Coming into New Mexico State University as a freshman, Jocelyn is a confident yet relaxed freshman who is already adapting to life at New Mexico State University.

“I didn’t really know what to expect, but now that a week or so has gone by, I’ve really enjoyed it,” said Jocelyn when asked about her first week at NMSU.

Being the youngest of four siblings has always meant for Jocelyn always having someone around to help her if necessary.  Going from living in Albuquerque to living in Pinon Hall on NMSU’s campus hasn’t been overwhelming for Jocelyn like it is for other freshmen.  In fact, the opportunity Jocelyn has had to branch out from her familial cocoon has helped her already meet new friends and become closer to old friends.

NMSU has put a new rule into place. Out-of-town freshmen are forced to live on campus for their first year of college, for some freshmen this may be difficult adjusting to, but for freshmen like Jocelyn Treadwell adapting to life on campus has been easy and liberating.

“Usually I’m with my two friends Tamara [Morris] and Anthony [Salazar], and we’re either hanging out in Tamara’s room or just walking around,” said Jocelyn.  She explained that she enjoys experiencing the liberty she now has in college with her closest friends by her side.

Jocelyn has already established a typical daily routine of her own here at NMSU.  After getting ready and eating breakfast before starting the long day, she walks a short distance to her classes (she prides herself in being a fast walker, too).  If she doesn’t have classes after her lunch break, she’ll find the rest of her trio and hang out at the dorms, and proceed to take a nap before she starts any homework.  With the help of Canvas and other resources, Jocelyn finishes her homework and finds the time to continue spending time with Tamara and Anthony before going to sleep.

Most of Jocelyn’s classes are a combination of freshmen level general education courses, and freshmen level business courses.  “I didn’t figure out what I wanted to do in college until this past December,” said Jocelyn.  She explained that although she’s enjoyed classes like Introduction to Computerized Information Systems (BCIS) and her introductory art class, what she’d really like to pursue in the future is a dental hygienist.  However, NMSU only offer a two-year dental-hygiene program, and Jocelyn still feels as if her appreciation for all things teeth may not evolve into a lifelong passion, therefore she decided that business management was a good career path to start with in her first year.

As a volleyball enthusiast of many years, and a member of her volleyball team throughout high school, Jocelyn is already looking forward to playing volleyball intramural games this fall.  As to whether she will join other clubs and organizations in the coming weeks of her freshmen year is still uncertain.  Yet, Jocelyn’s disinterest in joining clubs at NMSU is not because of a lack of motivation or commitment, but because of her independent yet reserved personality.  The idea of doing whatever she would like to and having the ability to make decisions for herself is very important for Jocelyn, and already she is transitioning into life as an adult in college.

“Personally, it’s [a little] weird trying to meet new people because they already have their own cliques and groups,” said Jocelyn.

She explained that she wanted to escape Albuquerque and the circle of friends she has known for her entire life, yet many of her peers from small cities in New Mexico came to Las Cruces with all their peers from their hometown.  She acknowledges the different level of city life between Albuquerque and Las Cruces that limits her options of things to do outside of class.  But it’s clear that Jocelyn has her priorities for college already set; she has her attention steered towards academics and maintaining her Hadley Honors Scholarship.

“[Jocelyn’s] never afraid to be herself, regardless of who’s around her or what they might think,” said Brittany Treadwell, Jocelyn’s older sister, who also attends NMSU.

Besides academics and creating a new social life at NMSU, Jocelyn is looking to grow closer to her older sister Brittany while they are in college together.  “We do things like quote movies while talking to other people,” said Jocelyn when I asked her about her relationship with her sister and how she spends time with her.  Jocelyn would light up and exude a sense of joy while talking about driving on the freeway with her sister over the summer.

“It’s hard to say if I’ll ever get [the relationship I have with my sister] with another friend,” said Jocelyn.

The crimson kickoff of this semester dedicated to mainly freshmen students was a big hit with Jocelyn and her friends, their favorite event being the anticipated concert at the outdoor stage with the headlining Ying Yang twins.  Jocelyn has also attended many event with her roommate Ch’Ree Essary, who Jocelyn has developed a great friendship with.  Although she admits that she has not gotten to know her suitemates very well, Jocelyn is still comfortable with her housing situation in Pinon Hall (and Garcia Hall, where she visits her friends very often).

“I always knew I had a friend in [Jocelyn],” said Tamara when asked about her favorite things about Jocelyn.  “I can’t wait for what the rest of the year and years to come has in store for us.”

With all her teachers and classes being experienced and approachable in Jocelyn’s eyes, and her friends supporting her day by day, Jocelyn is on the right track to becoming a well-rounded and successful student here at New Mexico State University.

“I’m glad I didn’t end up at [the University of New Mexico], I wanted a different environment, new experiences, new everything,” said Jocelyn.

As the coming weeks of the fall semester approach, Jocelyn awaits new memories and adventures as she finds her way at NMSU.