Senior Spotlight: Asia Merrill

Shannon Francolini
Editor-in-Chief
Sff1006@plymouth.edu

Asia Merrill’s time with The Clock has slowly but surely come to a bittersweet ending. Plymouth Voices has been lucky to have such an inspirational, insightful, and thoughtful Editor for the last three years. Plymouth Voices is a section on The Clock for creative pieces, whether that be a feature, a poem, prose, or any visual art worth sharing. Plymouth Voices has been a certified safe space for writers on The Clock, and welcomes anyone who has interest in writing to submit their creative work for this section. Asia has created a strong foundation for Plymouth Voices and as she will be missed dearly, we had the pleasure of gaining an insider’s perspective on Asia’s experience at PSU. 

Although endings can be sad and sentimental, Asia had such a positive outlook on her time here. Her favorite part was, “The community. Everyone is really friendly, easy to connect and have conversations with, especially in the English department. Finding that creative and educational support within my own department” was one of the most memorable moments for Asia. Using her love for English and passion for connection, Asia was the most perfect fit as the Editor for Plymouth Voices. Besides just, “The objective facts and knowledge, the thinking processes that I took away from my degree,” was the most uplifting for her future career path.  “The ability to critically think about the media I consume or information presented to me, and being able to entertain, explain, or consider a concept or idea without fully adopting it” was the biggest takeaway Asia earned from her valuable educational experience here at PSU.

After scoring a spot on the Dean’s List freshman year, Asia has always strived to be better; to be the absolute best version of herself. Her proudest moments were making “presidents list every semester because after my first semester, I said ‘I’m going to get President’s list every single semester.’” Asia embodies the concept of setting your mind on your goals and achieving them. Despite challenges thrown her way, Asia has always been open to lending a helping hand where she can, including giving back to the community, not just The Clock. Asia is “so grateful PSU has so many different opportunities for activities, exploration, and things to try.” She even got to experience residential life as a CA, she got to go hiking, and try all sorts of new things. She’s grateful the way “PSU is constructed for the ability to accommodate someone who wants to explore all those things.” Even when there were obstacles that got in the way of a physical print for both semesters, Asia never failed to meet a deadline or assist in any way she could offer. She took her circumstances and turned them into her triumphs, and The Clock wasn’t the only organization that noticed this, she proved her spot on the President’s List every semester since freshman year, a true accomplishment at its finest. 

As Asia continues on her journey to destination unlimited, she leaves us with some very important information and words of wisdom. She shares some advice for all majors, saying, “don’t skip the readings, don’t skim through them. It may take a lot of time but it’s worth it, and you’re going to get more out of your classes if you do it.” Not classified as a regret, but she claims she “could’ve worked harder”, but that just goes to show Asia’s authenticity, dedication, and perseverance throughout her time at PSU. Even though she will miss her daily coffee and bagel from Daily Paws, her biggest takeaway from her time here was finding out “who I really was at PSU, who I wanted my friends to be, what my values were, ideologies and mindsets I have never even heard of, just by meeting the incredible people who go here” she found herself. She even got the opportunity of trying out the radio, something she never could have imagined herself doing. As seniors spend this time to reflect on their last four years here, it’s not so much about what you will take away with you when you leave, but what have you gained? Asia is a perfect example of how PSU can benefit your life for the better, show you who you are and who you’re meant to be, and further push you towards that direction in life.