You Can B the Difference — Aidan McBride ('23)

You Can Be the Difference — Aidan McBride ('23, Major in Accounting, Minor in Finance)

Aidan was a very different person two years ago than he is today. He has become a recognizable face on campus by getting very involved in several different organizations and jobs, which has helped him cultivate strong relationships with fellow students and faculty. However, prior to this year, Aidan didn’t have any campus involvements, and was in a completely different mindset than he is now.

Aidan’s number one priority used to be working out to stay in the best shape he could be in. He was driven by a determination to escape hereditary diseases that are associated with poor physical health. Physical fitness was something he wanted to pursue for the rest of his life, until he suffered from an abdominal injury that severely limited his mobility. He could no longer do the things he loved, which put him in a bad mental state for the remainder of his freshman year.

“All I wanted was to be normal again, and at times, it felt as though I would never be.”

His world shifted when he was accepted into the Orientation team the summer going into his sophomore year. He finally found a home in Bentley, making meaningful friendships with fellow orientation leaders and his “baby Falcons.” As someone who struggled freshman year, it is of the utmost importance to him that all freshmen feel the support they need throughout their entire first year, rather than just during Orientation Week. That is why he became a Student Coordinator: so he can work with faculty and staff to change the program to ensure freshmen have the necessary support system during their tumultuous first year of college.

“Some people go into this line of work to make money; I wanted to do it to help people”.

Now, Aidan’s involvements have grown exponentially. He is a Senator in SGA, a brother of Alpha Kappa Psi, a Student Co-Leader for the NEST Program, an Ambassador for the Honors Council, a Tax-Aid volunteer for AARP, and works as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) Program Manager for the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center (BSLCE). He is particularly proud to be a part of the VITA Program, as it allows him to prepare tax returns for local low-income families and work to save them money.

“Join a club or an organization and go to the meetings — even if you don’t think you’ll love it.”

Aidan has spent a lot of his college career focusing on the needs of freshman and thinking about how they can best acclimate to life at Bentley. If he could impart any wisdom to incoming freshman, it would be to join the organizations this school has to offer, even if it might be out of your comfort zone, or something you’re not intensely passionate about from day one. Aidan says to trust the process, since joining the organization might be one of the best decisions you make during your first year. The first months of college are such a formative time, and since you are constantly changing, meeting new people in an unfamiliar environment might push you to become the person you strive to be.