Deciding on a college is a difficult decision for high school seniors. For Nathaniel Ropski, a senior history and political science double major, it was not only the liberal arts education at Gannon University that appealed to him, but also that two very important people would be on the same campus as him every day– his parents.
While it was ultimately his decision to attend college where he wanted, Ropski said that Gannon was the right fit, especially because his family and the University go back many years. The experience with his parents, Melanie Gustafson-Ropski, instructor in the biology department, and Steven Ropski '78, director of the science program in the Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, has been very positive.
"Anyone who knows me or watches me interact with my parents can see that we are a very close, tight-knit group," he said. "I also trust their judgment when it comes to a lot of things at school… It’s like having two more unofficial advisors."
Ropski is enrolled in Gannon’s Honors Program, and is the president and chair of Phi Eta Sigma, a first-year honors society. He also participates in the political science honor society and the history club.
Nathaniel Ropski enjoys being a student at Gannon because he believes in the possibilities that he is able to experience. See more about his possibility.
Projected to graduate in the spring, Ropski said that Gannon helped him grow and serves as a second home in many ways.
"Gannon is a part of my community, a part of my home," Ropski said. "No one thing made me stay here, I just had the overwhelming feeling that this was where I was meant to be."