English Literature Major
I chose Heidelberg because it was close to home and family. The gorgeous campus definitely didn't hurt, though. However, once I made it to campus, I found a new family in the friends I made here. It took a while, but it is what made me realize that I made the right choice in colleges.
I majored in English Literature because I loved the professors, classes, and the people in those classes. I love reading and analyzing new stories and writing about my interpretations of the texts I read. I believe these skills that I developed through these courses will help me in my future career as a librarian, as well as and sharing these same skills and love of reading and learning with others.
A major challenge I encountered while at Heidelberg was finding a place to fit in freshman year, and I handled it by leaving my comfort zone and going to events to meet new people. This was hard because of my anxiety; I hated being by myself in new and strange environments. However, this is how I met my family in the Euglossian Society and my many great friends in my classes.
Above all, Heidelberg prepared me to branch out and try new things. I had never thought of going on to a master's program before coming here, but now I have been encouraged by many of my professors and friends to consider even going for doctorate programs later on. I also was scared to take German classes because I was worried I wouldn't do well in them. However, these are now my favorite classes and I wished I had taken them sooner to better prepare me for when I eventually go to Germany (hopefully). German is a language with which I immediately clicked, and I love learning more about it and Germany.
Outside the classroom, I was involved in the Euglossian Society (of which I am currently the president), Morpheus Literary Magazine, the Rock Creek Review, Anime Club, Deutschklub, Stammtisch, and I was a student worker at Beeghly Library, a job I immensely enjoyed for it helped prepared me for my future career and I loved working closely with the amazing librarians, Laurie and Cassandra.
My favorite extra-curricular activity was the Euglossian Society because the group taught me so much about people, society, and myself and made me feel very comfortable on campus and in myself. They were my family before I even joined the group, and I cannot imagine what life at Heidelberg would have been like without all of my Eug friends.
One faculty or staff mentor or advisor who impacted my 'Berg experience is Dr. Barry Devine. He is the one who helped me to grow confident in my writing ability and he taught me new ways to approach literature. I never had a semester without one of his courses. He was always supportive of me and of my ideas. Whenever I was not confident in my work, he always was in me. In my mind, there is no Heidelberg without Dr. Barry Devine.
My advice to new freshman me would be to take deep breaths and enjoy trying new things. You are going to want to keep to yourself and your comfort zones, but there are so many great opportunities and groups at Heidelberg that I wished I had tried. Also, some of my closest friends on campus are the ones I made in my senior year. I could have been friends with them sooner and spent more time with them if I had participated sooner.
My favorite Heidelberg memory, if I had to pick one, I would have to say was the night of the Greek Society Ball with the sororities and the Eugs. It was very satisfying seeing all our beautiful and hard work come together, and it was also just a really fun night to spend with many of my friends, those in and out of Greek Life. Plus, who doesn't love getting dressed up and doing the Cupid's Shuffle?
I plan on getting a Master's degree in Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Findlay before pursuing even more schooling on my way to becoming a librarian.