Transitioning: Alan Beauvais

You can see him subtlety glancing down at his campus map. Confusion is apparent on his face—his eyes race from the paper to the building in the distance, as if he is trying to solve a mysterious puzzle in front of him. Discretely, he folds the map back up and puts it away, doing his best to appear confident like the other upperclassmen.

Alan Beauvais is not your average 22-year-old junior attending The University of North Carolina Wilmington. This past spring, he received his associate’s degree in Art at Brunswick Community College. He then decided to take the next step in his academic career and transfer to UNC Wilmington to earn his bachelor’s degree.

Beauvais has a vast interest in computer science, which also happens to be his major. He chose this particular school because of the innovative technology that is incorporated with the computer science department, as well as the advanced courses.

As great as the department seemed, he was fearful in the beginning of the process that he was not making the correct decision. “I was a little apprehensive about going to a new university. I had heard mixed feelings about UNCW.” Those mixed feelings were attributed to the change from a community college near home to a university further away.

A university has a different environment when compared to a smaller institution and Beauvais felt that from the start. “Being at a university feels more productive, and more like a community,” he claims. He experienced a change in routine, which definitely has been something for him to adjust to.

One of the biggest adjustments that Beauvais encountered in transferring was the distance, because he was not accustomed to being away from home for an extended amount of time. Beauvais says, “I’m a little homesick…it’s my first time being alone.” Fortunately, his home is not too far away, only about an hour, so he visits home every other weekend as a way to ease the change.

While he cannot go home every day, he found that becoming involved was the best way to transition naturally. At first, finding his place in a new town was a tough task, saying, “the hardest part was finding new people to hang out with and acclimating myself to living alone.” He felt that being a part of an organization would take his mind off of being away and feeling like the new guy, while introducing him to a variety of people.

A few weeks into the semester, UNCW hosted the annual Involvement Carnival, which is filled with booths for nearly every organization on campus. Beauvais used this to his best advantage, packing his schedule full with photography, running, French, and a computer-building club.

Many of these organizations were just for enjoyment, but the French club hit home for him. Beauvais’ great-grandmother was born in France and came to the United States later in life where she met his great-grandfather. French is a small tradition that reminds him of home that he can partake in at this new place.

So far, French has been his favorite club because of how welcoming the members are. He says, “It is a great way to learn about the French culture and make new friends. I guess it helped me find somewhere that I ‘fit in’.” As a transfer student, Beauvais made it a goal to find that place where he can feel at home at and this club has made Wilmington his new home.

His parents feel as though his adjustment as a transfer student has went fairly easily. “I was nervous and excited at the same time for Alan. He’s never been away from home for an extended amount of time so I was interested to see how he’d handle it, but things seem to be going well so far,” says his dad, Jerry. His parents have been very supportive in his decision to transfer and that encouragement has helped Beauvais know that he made the correct decision.

Beauvais misses the quietness and simplicity of his hometown, but he has enjoyed making new friends and exploring his new home away from home. “Getting a chance at a fresh start was probably the most positive thing about this transfer,” he says. That fresh start has provided him with a sense of freedom and a new feeling of being on his own.

Change was a difficult experience for him, but he excited to mark his territory at UNCW and finish his degree.