Molly Trottier’s college decision split her family in two.

And though she is content with her choice, Trottier, a junior in communication, said the rivalry originated between her sister, a 2005 UNC-Chapel Hill alumna, and herself began when she chose to attend N.C. State.

And this family rivalry is not the only one that affected her decision.

“I knew that I wanted to go to a school that was in the ACC,” Trottier said.

As an avid football fan, Trottier said she has never missed a football game and believes sports are a great way to get involved on campus.

On her first visit to this same campus, Trottier said she knew NCSU was the school she wanted to attend.

“I just fell in love with the campus,” she said.

But Trottier said the people here — her fellow classmates, professors and staff — are what sealed the deal regarding her choice.

“[The people at NCSU] just seemed to be friendly and make an effort,” she said. “Overall, the people are just more welcoming than people at other universities.”

As a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and Campus Crusade for Christ, Trottier said she has tried to become one of these friendly faces.

She advises students to take the initiative and join clubs.

“You can’t have fun in college if you are just going to class,” she said.

Once in these clubs, she urges people to “get involved and stay involved.”

Studying abroad is another experience in which Trottier was involved — not only did she enjoy her trip to Spain, she encourages her fellow students to take the first opportunity they can to study abroad.

“[Students] are just emerged in the culture there,” she said.

Staying with a host family forced Trottier to challenge herself with the language, even with her ability to speak Spanish confidently.

“I had to learn more of the language so that I could do simple things like eat breakfast because my host mother only spoke four or five words in English,” she said.

Not only did her trip teach her about the culture and language of Spain, Trottier also said she learned about herself because she was on her own. Studying abroad was an experience Trottier hopes to repeat in the future, particularly in Brazil or Mexico.

After graduation, Trottier said she intends to enroll in graduate school and eventually pursue a career in bilingual speech pathology in a hospital — a place she said she would “love to work with children because I have a lot of experience with them.”

Until then, Trottier said she hopes to enjoy the remainder of her college career because “this is one time in life where we don’t have real responsibilities.”