Raynham native Alayna Travaglione arrived on Salem State’s campus four years ago with a singular mission: to make the absolute most of every part of her college experience. After several years of living through hospitalizations, medications and surgeries, she was determined to make up for lost time.
A diagnosis of severe Rheumatoid Arthritis when she was thirteen significantly altered Alayna’s high school life. A once promising tennis player, she was no longer able to compete. Early on, her hospitalizations were so frequent that she had to be homeschooled for a year. Her limited mobility and the side effects of her chemotherapy and prednisone treatments made her a target for bullies. While she was eventually able to return to school, she still felt like precious milestones were lost along the way.
Her Viking Journey
Salem State provided Alayna with the academic and social environment she was looking for within a reasonable proximity of her medical team in Boston. From the moment she arrived for orientation, Alayna was all in on being a Viking. Despite her nervousness in a new group of students, she took home the prized Viking helmet, awarded by orientation leaders to the group member who stands out for their enthusiasm and Viking spirit. Once she moved in, she jumped into campus life, volunteering for HAWC, building houses on Alternative Spring Break trips, and joining the Theta Phi Alpha sorority.
Reflecting on her sorority experience, Alayna said, “I really wanted to be in a group of girls who shared the same values. It’s about sisterhood, service and encouragement, and their support was so huge for me.” Although Alayna faced surgery every year of college, her sorority sisters were a source of strength, visiting her in the hospital and encouraging her during her recovery. She gave back as the chairwoman for Academic Excellence, tutoring her sisters, organizing study groups in the library and creating incentive programs for stellar grades.
Inspired by historical figures who had overcome obstacles to change the world, Alayna found her academic home in the history department. The history faculty’s support and example motivated her to become a better historian. An inductee into several academic honor societies and a Silver Key Award recipient, she is on track to graduate summa cum laude this spring.
“It would have been so difficult to make it through without the faculty encouraging me. My latest research paper on the ‘Lost Colony’ of Roanoke was so fascinating, I’m sad to finish it,” she said. One of Alayna's favorite academic experiences was putting her classroom study to work with primary sources as an intern for the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston. Her work on the Mayflower Project helped her uncover a Mayflower descendent in her own family.
Seeing the World
While she enjoyed a full academic and social life on campus, Alayna had one more item on her bucket list: studying abroad. She fulfilled this goal not once, but twice, attending a summer program in Oxford, England in 2017 and a fall semester in Sorrento, Italy. The extraordinary efforts of managing her medications, attending physical therapy and scheduling surgeries paid off as she immersed herself in European culture.
“I was excited and nervous,” she said of arriving in Sorrento in a walking boot following ankle surgery, “but I’m so passionate about traveling, it was definitely worth it.” From studying Italian cinema and archeology to going out to restaurants with her roommates, she felt a deep appreciation for every moment. After losing so much time in the hospital, unable to walk, traveling the world was a life-changing milestone.
Sharing Her Story
As a teenager with a disease more commonly associated with the elderly, it was easy to feel isolated. Over the course of her college career, Alayna has shared her experiences to help other young people facing chronic illness feel less alone. As a first-year student, she published a story about her adjustment to college life for US News and World Report online. While living in Sorrento, she wrote about managing her illness abroad for the Arthritis Foundation’s blog. She has been invited to speak at the Arthritis Foundation’s nationwide teen conference at the end of the year.
“People don’t know that kids get arthritis,” she recalled. “When I share my story with other people, I want them to know that they can follow their dreams, that disability doesn’t limit their passions. When people email me or reach out on social media, it makes me feel so special that I can help. When my illness is hard, having these people supporting me and telling me how much my story inspires them gives me more strength to keep fighting!”
The Road Ahead
As she wraps up her undergraduate journey, Alayna’s road ahead follows similar themes of challenge and adventure. As she recovers from a total knee replacement surgery this summer, she’ll also be packing her bags for a move south to the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She earned an academic fellowship to pursue her master’s degree in history in the hopes of eventually becoming a professor.
“As hard as it’s been, I can’t imagine my life without arthritis,” she reflected. “I’ve been working so hard and I’m excited for the next chapter. I feel like I can conquer anything.”
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Anne P Collins
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