Meet Communication student Justin Tralongo

By Nusrah Azeez and Christine Souaiden

Please tell us who you are and why you chose UMass

My name is Justin Tralongo, I am from Westminster, Massachusetts, I was born in Connecticut and lived in Florida for a few years before moving to Massachusetts. My life has been amazing and I would say a little different than most people. Around 2011, my family started a church in Gardner, Massachusetts and we decided that we are going to get involved in the community by doing a lot of community work and collaborating with pre-existing organizations like The Gardner Community Action Center and House of Peace and Education (HOPE). Although I live in Westminster, I have gotten involved and connected to the City of Gardner and I have always loved that, my heart is really in Gardner. One of the reasons I chose UMass is because I love Massachusetts and want to stay here for the rest of my life. Also, I liked the Communication program and the Honors college here at UMass. Since I have been here, I have had a cool experience. I love the professors in the honors college, especially Professor Brion Dulac.

What do you love the most about UMass?

As a transfer student, one of the things I like the most about UMass is the classes. I think the classes are really good. I love my classes and professors, I have not had one bad professor so far. Although I liked it at my previous college, I had many problems with classes because some professors were very difficult and I did not enjoy the classes. However, at UMass, I have had a great experience with my classes and professors. Another thing I like about UMass is the size, I love how big it is and I love walking around campus, especially on a nice day.

Tell us about your experience as a transfer student.

For me, it was a bit of a jump, I went from being homeschooled to a community college,which was about 15 minutes away from my house, to then coming to UMass. I remember the first day walking on campus, it was surprising that I had to walk in between buildings to get to my classes, it was different. Even the UMass online systems like Spire were very new to me, everything was bigger. At first, it was daunting, some things were a little confusing like, where to get my UCard or how to connect to Eduroam. It took me a while to get those types of things figured out, it was simpler at a community college. UMass being a bigger school took a lot of getting used to, but once I became familiar with it, I realized that a lot of resources are more accessible than I thought, the library’s online system is amazing and the staff at the library are super helpful. It just took me a bit to find my way around.

What did you think of the Comm Transfer Seminar?

I loved the Comm Transfer Seminar, I got to take it with Aaron Hoholik and Christine Souaiden which was very fun. I thought the class was very helpful because being a transfer student was a little daunting because you are just trying to figure everything out. That class made it a lot easier for me. One of the biggest things the transfer seminar helped me with was planning out my classes for the rest of my time at UMass. It was also nice to get a chill class and a calm environment, a good way to relax in the middle of a school day. I was able to connect with some other transfer students, talk to them and listen to their different experiences. I found out that one of the other students in the class had a lot in common with me and he is pretty cool.

What do you think of the Comm Department?

I love the Communication Department, it is very broad. The different aspects offered have allowed me to discover the parts of Communication that I like and take classes that interest me which I wasn’t able to do before. Right now, I am taking a class called Social Influence and Persuasion, it is a very interesting class. Another class I like is Children, Teens, and Media with Professor Erica Scharrer. I think these two classes cover different aspects of Communication but they are both beneficial. Also, the faculty that I have gotten to work with seem connected to the Communication field. I have taken classes with Sut Jhally who does research and makes movies about topics we talk about in class. The Communication program is very connected to what is going on out there right now, it is very current. It has been very cool being able to connect what we are working on in the class to what is happening around the world.

What would you take away from your Junior year?

My biggest takeaway has been time management and organization, especially as a commuting student. I have a job and social life back home and to balance that with life at UMass and my 16 credit classes was difficult at first and it started to wear me down last semester. I finally got the hang of it and figured out what works best for me. I think that is something I learned this year that I hope to carry forward into the rest of my life.

Walk us through the life of a commuting student

My day is pretty unique, waking up in the morning is difficult. Even when I like my classes and I want to go to classes, it is a little hard to get rolling sometimes because I have an hour’s drive ahead of me so it is tough. Also, I have to be careful with my scheduling of homework and get things done the night before they are due because of my commute and every other thing I have to do. I can’t hang out late with friends because I know I have an hour’s drive back home. I miss out on the full campus experience coming from so far away, I don’t know as many people on campus as everyone else, and even the friends that I do have, it is difficult to get together with them. Working a job at home with inconsistent hours has made it almost impossible to spend time on campus. It’s been hard but nice at the same time, being able to live at home has allowed me to stay connected to my family and community which has always been a big part of who I am so that has been awesome.

Where is your favorite spot on campus?

I love hanging out with people around food because I like to eat. My two favorites are Hamp and Roots because it is a chill environment. If I am doing work, I like the Comm hub especially by the window.

What is your favorite meal to have on campus?

One I like about going to Hamp is that you can mix it up, you can try different things, and if you are still hungry, you can get more. When I am in Blue Wall, I like to get sandwiches from Deli Delish. I also like to get sushi from Wasabi.

Are you involved with anything on or off campus?

The biggest thing that I am connected with at UMass is the Honors College and the Honors program. I have enjoyed that experience. We had an event with a poet Martín Espada and he did a reverse-style poem and gave a lecture to explain it. I love poetry and this was the first time I experienced it the way he did it, it was inspiring. I ended up using the poem for a project in one of my classes.

What would be your advice for incoming transfers?

Take one of the transfer seminar classes and be intentional about trying to make things work because at UMass, there are so many resources and opportunities. There is so much you can learn and gain but because of the size of the school, it is not just going to be put in your lap, you have to put in effort and time. Also, go to the Peer Advisors office, I have gone there so many times. There are always different people in the office but everyone has been so helpful.