Anna Majetic, Artsci’14, GDB’14, MA’15, MBA’17, was barely 18 years old when she came to Queen’s. She couldn’t wait to get here, but it was the first time she had been away from home.

She felt like “a fish out of water,” she remembers. She was homesick, overwhelmed, and unsure how to juggle courses, a job, and extracurriculars.

Her grades soon nosedived and her confidence took a hit too. She felt like she had no one to talk to and nowhere to turn.

She wasn’t alone in feeling this way, but she didn’t know that at the time. Later she did, and it’s why she was thrilled to see Queen’s introduce a program designed to help students transition from high school to university – supported through the Queen’s Fund, thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends.

The program, QSuccess, connects first-year students with upper-year peer mentors who share advice on study skills, balancing academic and social demands, and taking care of themselves along the way.

As a student who struggled, Majetic says she knows just how much of a difference an initiative like this can make.

She also saw that difference firsthand as a QSuccess mentor during her upper years. She remembers one mentee in particular who told her she didn’t feel so alone anymore after participating in the program.

“That’s what does it for me – just knowing that I could help someone feel less alone and overwhelmed than I did in my first year at Queen’s,” says Majetic.

For Majetic, the experience showed that student success isn’t just about grades. It’s also about belonging, confidence, and knowing that someone is there when university feels overwhelming.

That’s where gifts to the Queen’s Fund can make a big difference. The fund supports positive change across Queen’s – in student life, research, inclusion, community connection, and global engagement.

Through QSuccess, that broad commitment becomes personal, connecting first-year students with peers who can help them feel less alone and more ready to succeed.

Majetic says programs like QSuccess “truly make Queen’s a special place.”

“When we support students to be the best they can be in all parts of their lives,” says Majetic, “we help them succeed in the classroom, but we also help them become contributing members of the Queen’s community and beyond.”