Meet Comm Peer Advisor Erin Diacik

By Nusrah Azeez and Christine Souaiden

Please tell us who you are and why you chose UMass.

My name is Erin, I am a senior Comm major from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. I chose UMass because I wanted to go to a big school where I did not know anyone. Also, I have a lot of family in the area that I wanted to be close to, it makes it easier for them to come visit me in school.

What do you love most about UMass?

I love that it is a very big school but it doesn’t feel that big. Whenever I go around campus, or at my job at the Rec Center, or even at the grocery store, I always see someone I know, which makes the school feel less big and more of a community.

What do you think about the Communication department?

I like the Communication department very much. I think the advising program is great and very helpful for students. There are a lot of people in the Communication department and that is a big plus because you have the opportunity to have conversations with different people. Also, I like the space that we have. The Hub is a great place to hang out and work with people in the department and people from other majors.

What are you involved in on campus?

I am a Peer Advisor in the Comm department. I also work at the campus gym. These positions allow me to interact with many students everyday. Over the summer, I was a New Student Orientation Leader for about eight weeks. I got to meet with incoming freshmen and transfer students. It was a great experience because I got to help them with their schedules, and introduce them to the university and the communication department. It was a great opportunity that introduced me to the peer advising role.

What is like being a Peer Advisor for the Communication Department?

It has been an amazing experience because I feel like I am making an impact. A lot of people can get lost in the Comm department, it is so big and there are so many students. Being a Peer Advisor has allowed me to meet more professional advisors and students who are my age and younger.

If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself as a freshman?

I would tell myself to get involved sooner. Getting involved in the university both socially and academically has made my experience better. 

What advice would you give students trying to get involved on campus?

I would say browse the UMass website. I found a lot of opportunities that I have taken advantage of on a job board or Handshake or any department’s website. There are lots of random events and projects going on all the time that you can get involved with. I would say check the UMass website and be open to anything.

Tell us about your semester abroad experience?

I decided to study abroad early in my sophomore year. I took the advice from my older sister who had studied abroad when she was in college. In November, I had everything planned out and flew to Spain without knowing anyone. It was very scary at first however, everyone was super nice and ready to make new friends. I took three Comm classes abroad that satisfied requirements here at UMass. I also took a Psychology class for credits at a Spanish university where I got to meet a diverse range of students as well as students from different parts of the United States. It was cool to meet young international students.

What do you hope to take away from your senior year? 

I hope to be able to leave UMass feeling like I did everything that I wanted to do. Sometimes, I am super scared and not ready to leave and other times, I feel like I am ready for the next step and I can see myself ready to move on from this. I hope to transition at some point to feeling like I am ready to leave, rather than being terrified of what’s next. 

What are your plans after graduation?

I don’t want to start working as soon as I graduate. I would like to move back home for a couple of months because I have some family vacations planned for the summer. I want to travel a little bit. My family and I are trying to make arrangements to visit my sister who is going to a program in Italy. After that I will start working full-time sometime at the end of the summer or the beginning of fall. 

What are your most memorable moments at UMass?

I have lived off-campus for the last year and a half. So my roommates and I decided to go into John Quincy Adams, one of the Southwest residence towers, where we lived our sophomore year. Walking in, it felt so small, the ceilings felt low and the bathrooms felt small. I just remember when I lived there, it all felt massive. Going back two years later, it felt so small. At the same time it felt very nostalgic.