Tap-dancer, president of the Chemistry Club, homecoming queen, and Honors student Lauren Mussig will be sharing her excellent ‘Berg experience with the students who will follow her as part of Scholars Day this weekend.
Lauren, a senior this year, has spent the past four years as the ideal example of all of the opportunities Heidelberg has to offer. She’s shown off her Berg Pride at academic conferences, on the track field, talking to Greek Life alumni, and even while applying to Physician Assistant graduate programs.
Lauren has worked in the Admission Office since her first semester at Heidelberg. She began giving tours, and now works as a student manager in the office. Having met many of the students who went on to call the ’Berg home, Lauren knows well the diversity we find so easily on campus. Even though this year’s scholar’s day looks a little different, Lauren bright attitude and Berg Pride stays a staple of the event.
So, what’s her message to the incoming students who will call Heidelberg home for the next four years?
“The average Heidelberg student is not just a student, they are athletes, musicians, actors, scientists, and leaders,” Lauren says. “When I first visited Heidelberg, I fell in love with the campus. But then this campus helped me fall in love with myself. I hope everyone gets that same experience.”
Scholars Day is a traditional event held every spring semester as a way to demonstrate Heidelberg’s opportunities to prospective high school students who’ve demonstrated a dedication to academic achievement. There are significant ’Berg scholarships available to the invited participants.
This year, the Admission Office has given Scholars Day a bit of a makeover. In previous years, the atmosphere was highly competitive and felt somewhat stiff for those high-schoolers vying for various scholarships while they spent their Saturday on campus. However, the Admission Office has shifted this year to be more learning-community centered, highlighting information sessions on how each scholar can expect to spend their next four years, and providing an additional scholarship to all prospective students who attend.
Many students invited to Scholars day join Heidelberg’s Honors program. Heidelberg’s Life of the Mind Honors Program is designed to challenge and support students in the development of their intellect and character. Students like Lauren are supported through various opportunities that help them grow in their academic endeavors and as leaders. The Life of the Mind program integrates learning and life experiences; in turn, students come face-to-face with the values of integrity, free-inquiry, intellectual rigor, cross-cultural understanding, and social responsibility. Students can follow their passions and discover new passions at every turn. The program is so designed that Honors students may more easily complete multiple majors or academic programs, and have more room in their schedules for courses that go beyond the constraints of their major. Students and faculty are able to see a combination of various intellectual passions come to fruition through personalized Honors seminars, and the student’s culminating honors’ capstone.
This Scholars Day, the students who may soon make up Heidelberg’s Honors Program are welcomed with a big smile from Lauren. As they take their first steps down the same path she took four years ago, she is happy to help guide them along.