Article by: Angela Bray
As freshman orientation approaches, Tomas Robaina is enthusiastic about returning for his second year as an orientation leader. Prior to this summer’s orientation sessions, Robaina worked as an Enumerator for the Census Bureau. “The best part about being an orientation leader is getting new students pumped for their life at Suffolk,” he said.
Robaina is a member of the 2012 class as a Global Business and Marketing double major. He is also the President of the College Republicans and an SGA Senator for his class.
Robaina left Miami, FL for Suffolk because he wanted to attend school in Boston; he was attracted to the school’s size and business program. He typically hangs out with his friends in the fourth floor lounge in Donahue.
“My inspiration to be an orientation leader came from attending my orientation and having so much fun,” said Robaina. “Brian LeFort and Kristen Kelly were my orientation leaders, and they were the first people to show me that at Suffolk you aren’t just your ID number, but a real person.”
His most memorable moment as an orientation leader was from last year’s retreat at Camp Becket in western Massachusetts where there was no electricity or lights. “At night we had a bonfire on the other side of the camp from our cabins” he said. “John Silveria, Karen Phillips, Karl Hoffman, and I were the last to leave the bonfire and were walking back to the cabins with just some small flashlights, freaking out the entire time that an ax murderer was going to jump out and kill us.”
As both an orientation leader and a student, Robaina has valuable advice he can provide for incoming freshmen. “Get involved and stay involved,” he said. “That is the best way to meet people, especially since Suffolk is a pretty small school and you can keep seeing the same people around.”
