Apr 30, 2014 By Eric Bost managing Editor 3 min read

In life, choosing what college you will attend is one of the decisions people could make; a lot of factors go into the choice: location, size and affordability to name a few.

However, when it came to picking the college she wanted to go to for the next four years of her life, Dana Della Loggia made it very easy for herself when she picked Waynesburg University.

“I went to a small private high school. I liked the fact that I could get really involved, so I knew I would transition well into smaller private college,” said Della Loggia.

“I narrowed down my choices to all small private colleges. It came down to Waynesburg and Messiah College, and Messiah is only 45 minutes from my house, and I didn’t want to go home every weekend so I picked Waynesburg.”

Della Loggia, a senior business major, was used to city life growing up in Hershey, Pennsylvania, only 10 minutes outside of the state capital, Harrisburg.

Della Loggia said that she wanted to become more independent during her time at college, and that she did, only visiting home once per semester by the time she became a senior this past year.

“I probably only go home once per semester, so I got the full Waynesburg experience,” said Della Loggia. “That probably helped me become more independent, having to stay here. It’s hard, cause you always wish you [could go home]. Each year I went home a little bit less each semester because you don’t miss it as much.”

During her time at Waynesburg, Della Loggia has become involved in a number of academic and athletic clubs on campus, including being a member of the university golf team and choir, while also being the events coordinator for the Student Activities Board for the past three years.

Getting ready to graduate, Della Loggia plans to live at home for some time while still finishing her internship over the summer.

She plans to transition into a job with Brown, Schultz, Sheridan and Fritz, an accountant and business advisor firm very close to where she lives, in September.

Della Loggia said the opportunities Waynesburg University gave her outside of the classroom were just as valuable during the job search and in her getting her upcoming job as the actual classes themselves.

“I think being involved almost means more than going to class and getting good grades. Being involved at your university is what develops you as a person even more than going to classes,” said Della Loggia.

“Being social is one of the most important things. I’ve learned so much in my involvement in the Student Activities Board and Choir that I would have never learned in my classes.”