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Chelsea Burke '25 admits that when she set to transfer from Montgomery County Community College to ����ֱ�� after earning an associate degree, she was putting all of her eggs into one basket, so to speak. But that’s because it was the perfect fit.
 

“I didn’t want to be too far from home," she said. "I wanted to commute and for my decision to be practical in addition to fitting my educational goals."

Things have worked out great in that regard.

“I’ve met really nice, cool people," she said. "I’ve developed great student/professor relationships. The professors here really get to know you and how you work because of the small class sizes.”
 

Being a commuter from nearby Boyertown, getting involved on campus was essential for Burke, and she jumped into things fairly quickly. From go, she met a couple of friends at orientation, and together, they joined the Friends of Animals Club. Later, she joined more of Alvernia's many student organizations: the Social Work Association, Peer Mentors and OWLS.
 

In being a Peer Mentor, Burke is able to help other new-to-����ֱ�� students as they adjust to college life, to teach ����ֱ��’s core values, and to just be an ear if they need to discuss any struggles. As an Orientation Weekend Leader (OWL) she assists on move-in days, during days of service performing tasks like local park clean-ups, and is just there, again, to lend a hand.
 

Most recently, Burke has taken a leadership role in helping to develop the new Commuter Association. The group acts as a resource for commuting students. As president, she’s working to get things off the ground and to recruit members.

Explained Burke of why it’s significant to her, “It’s important to give commuters a sense of home on campus and to be another voice in their corner.”

Small things like having an available microwave and handy plasticware may seem small to the on-campus resident, but it can be big for a commuting student needing to make a quick meal in between classes.
 

Helping is a heart song for Burke, hence her social work major.

To that end, she recently completed an internship at the Southeastern Veteran Center in Spring City, completing such tasks as assisting veterans with paying bills, voting and sitting in on clinical and care plan meetings, as well as offering talk therapy.

“I chose my major because I want to help people,” she said. “I don’t want to be a nurse per se, but I think mental health is very important and needs to be advocated for more. And people need benefits and access to resources, but they don’t always know where to look for it.”

For those students on the fence about enrolling in ����ֱ��, Burke would give them a solid, “do it!” She cites that ����ֱ�� is particularly wonderful for students looking to stay local to Berks County. She also sings the benefits of its small campus and wealth of majors, but most of all, its culture of kindness.
 

“I’ve never met a mean person on campus,” she said. “Ever.”