Senior to Senior Series: Rylee Napolitan
Hello! My name is Eliza Moore, and I am a senior at Chatham University. In my experience, some of the closest friends are just a couple doors down! This is the case for me and today’s interviewee: Rylee Napolitan! In the case of Rylee, I won the lottery because they were a random roommate placement for one of my long-term childhood friends. I am so excited to share their experience with you!
Content waring: topics of substance abuse and assault will be discussed.
Name: Rylee Napolitan (she/they)
Major: English & Communications with a concentration in Public Relations
Hometown: Warren, PA
What led you to choose Chatham?
I wanted to go to a school in the city but also really liked the idea of going to a smaller school.
What is your fondest Chatham memory?
My fondest memory was attending Light Up Night with Eliza and my roommate at the time. We all went back to our dorm and ordered way too much food from Go Puff and ended up getting a noise complaint from laughing so hard. (In my defense, my neighbor was the RA and I lived above the GRD!)
Did your plans change at all throughout your college experience?
I actually came to Chatham wanting to be a creative writing major because of how amazing the creative writing program is, especially for getting your MBA, but realized very quickly I was more interested in the Communications side of things. I loved all the classes I was taking for my Communications major and decided to switch to English over Creative Writing, as I have always loved reading and writing but I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with that, and knew it would be helpful for me to maintain those passions throughout my schooling.
What would you say was your biggest challenge during your time at Chatham?
I had a really hard time during the pandemic, as it was very isolating, and found myself struggling with substance abuse issues. I had to go home halfway through the fall semester of my second year because I just couldn’t handle how isolating it was on campus during that time and knew if I was at home, I at least had my family around me. There was a point following my junior year where I almost needed to drop out to seek treatment for my substance abuse. Miraculously, I still managed to keep up with my schoolwork, I don’t think I got anything below a B. Seeking sobriety was really hard and putting myself first caused me to lose a lot of friends that I had been close with during that period of my life. It was also difficult to maintain my mental health during this time, as not participating in party culture during your twenties was hard and isolating, especially as it had been such a large part of social-life prior. It wasn’t easy balancing my classes while also making efforts to take care of myself and my health.
What helped you get to a better place?
I am so lucky to have such a supportive partner that was there for me during this. Also going to therapy was so helpful. I just needed to take the time to take care of myself and realize what I needed, which was difficult at that time. I have always been someone who put academics above everything and pushed myself to be excellent all the time, but for the first-time last spring that part of me went on the backburner because I needed to fully focus on myself and make me a priority. I’m proud to say that even while doing this I was able to maintain good grades, but I was less involved on campus than I may have previously been. Overall, it all paid off and I am doing so much better now.
What inspired you to pursue English & Communications?
I always enjoyed my English classes and did very well in there. I love literature and reading and was always just interested in communications in general. Chatham’s communications program in specific has always been so amazing, especially because in my first years all my professors were adjuncts, so they were current professionals in their field, which I found to be so helpful and inspiring.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I plan on staying in Pittsburgh and taking a gap year while exploring different law schools and preparing for and taking my LSAT. I just got hired part-time at the Women and Girls Foundation as their Program Assistant, which will turn into a full-time job after graduation. After my gap year, hopefully I’ll be attending law school!
What inspired you to go to law school?
I went through a very traumatic experience 3 weeks before starting college, so I was very passionate about reform regarding assault in the court system because it isn't always very fair. While that is what originally sparked my interest, I do not wish to perform that category of law as I feel I have too much of an emotional attachment, but I am very interested in other facets of the law and how it connects to communications and the creative world.
What does your dream job look like?
To start, I would want to work from home. (Me too!) I would like to work with creatives. I’m not sure exactly what law I'm interested in pursuing just yet; I don’t have a set dream job of “I wanna work at XYZ” but I’m mainly interested in copyright and intellectual property law. I would ideally want to work with writers and musicians and work to protect their art.
Do you have any advice for new or prospective students?
Take time for yourself! I have learned so much about myself over these last four years through college and just experiencing life in general and I am a completely different person today than when I was coming into college. Take the time to enjoy learning about yourself and explore all the opportunities life has to offer. The benefit of Chatham being so small is it is extremely easy to network, which can lead to so many amazing opportunities both on and off campus. You never know who you may meet and how they may impact your life.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is always available.
Chatham University Counseling Center | 412-365-1282
TalkCampus App | Download here
PA Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse Hotline | 866-210-1303
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) | 412-431-5665
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN) | 1-800-656-4673
[Editor’s note: All of us at Pulse@ChathamU would like to express our appreciation of Rylee’s candor in sharing their story. Through vulnerability in sharing something difficult, you create strength for yourself and others. Thank you.]
If you or a friend would like to participate in the Senior to Senior series, please reach out to Eliza.Moore@chatham.edu. We want to hear about your journey at Chatham University!