Newmanite Profile: Danielle Nilges

What's your best Newman Center memory?

My best memory with the Newman Center so far was the Alternative Spring Break trip to Jacksonville, Florida my sophomore year. I had just started going to the Newman Center again and attended my first retreat of that year when I was invited on the Spring Break trip. It was either spend a week in Florida and get to know 14 new people or stay in Greenville and work the entire week; I chose Florida! We spent the week serving others through various projects, but more importantly growing closer to a group of Newmanties from ECU as well as students from other schools around the country. It wasn’t all work either; In between the painting, serving food, and sorting clothes, we walked to a local outdoor mall every night, went on “scavenger hunts”, and watched college basketball games. We also found a free concert with country music stars JoDee Messina and Keith Anderson! All in all, the friendships I made on this trip were the driving force that continued to bring me to Newman for the rest of the year and continue to get involved!

What was it like to leave your comfort zone and get involved with Newman?

As a freshman, I was the girl who would only come to Newman on Sunday nights for mass. I would sit with my roommate every week, never branching out and talking to new people. Then slowly, I started showing up on Wednesday nights and staying for the free dinners they offered. One day, I decided to ask if I could help cook for the Wednesday night meal and that small step to get involved forced me to actually talk to people and get to know more about what went on around Newman. Then, I went on the first retreat my freshman year and it is all history from there. Basically, what I am saying is leaving your comfort zone to get involved doesn&39;t have to happen all at once. Take your time, get involved in what you are interested in, and I guarantee that before you know it you will have left what you thought was your comfort zone, and be involved in many different aspects of Newman.

What would you tell a potential Newmanite? 

Be bold! Much like college, your Newman experience will be what you make it. Don’t be scared to stick around after a Sunday mass and strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know. Join the girl&39;s devotional group, bible study, or RCIA. Go on the beach retreats and take a break from classes while getting to know a great group of students. Sign up for volunteer projects and serve the community as part of the Newman community. All of these things will benefit you in ways you might not realize yet. Looking back on my last three years at ECU, what I remember about Newman the most are getting involved in activities such as these.