Let's Meet Travis!!

As everyone knows, I have been interviewing students who will be starting here at Berkeley in the Fall and addressing any concerns or questions they may have. To switch it up a bit, I asked Travis, who is well into his college experience, to provide a little insight for these new students. Travis was my group leader at Freshman Orientation last year, and we began to talk several months after. He is actively involved at the Garret Mountain campus and is a great person to speak to! Let's see what he has to say!!




My name is Travis Helmka. I am 20 years old and I am in my seventh quarter here at Berkeley College (Junior). I was born and raised at the Jersey Shore, where I currently live when I am not staying on campus. I grew up in the family business, a chain of liquor stores by where I live, and I learned almost everything I know from there. At the very least, everything I knew before I came here.

I think just about every new student is nervous because they don’t know what to expect. Don’t worry! Realize that everyone is just like you and no one knows what to expect at first. You have to realize that everyone feels the same as you before you can truly become comfortable with the situation and make friends. YOU WILL MAKE FRIENDS!

What should you expect? Classes aren’t that big, so you will get to know a lot of people right away. A lot of freshmen have to take the same classes, so you will most likely see some people a couple times a day. Get to know them! Part of the reason that I was so successful here is because I forced myself to come out of my shell. Do things that make you uncomfortable, it’s part of developing.
Expect a lot of people to be there for you. All of your teachers want to help you, whether they show it or not. They won’t treat you like a kid anymore, but they will always work with you.

My biggest tip would be to realize that College should be one of the best experiences of your life, depending on how you use it. Certain people will go to class and then leave. What is wrong with that? You miss everything in between!
Join a club, join an organization, and make a difference! Some of you will do all of this and be that much better for it. If a club doesn’t find you, find me and I will!
I want you to realize that college is only about half in the classroom. If everything you learned came from the classroom, you missed out. College is also about developing social skills, networking, becoming comfortable with yourself and growing as a person! Oh yeah, HAVE FUN!!

If you ever need anything from me, my email is
travis-helmka@mymail.berkeleycollege.edu

Great advice from a great person! Thank you Travis! He is right! If you are interested in finding a club to join, he is your man to contact!! Thanks again!!