Ferrum's First Scholarship Day

by Cari A., Panther Blogger

On February 18, myself, faculty/staff and several other students, such as Brett, Paige, and Caleb, were asked to participate in Ferrum's first Scholarship Day.  This event is brand new to Ferrum and is an opportunity for prospective students who have been awarded a scholarship to attend Ferrum to come and kind-of "spend a day at Ferrum."  Our part in this event was to eat with these students and discuss things such as life at Ferrum, Freshman Scholars, and other Ferrum-based topics.

As a discussion leader and table host, each of us would spend about 15 to 20 minutes with each table, which generally consisted of 2 different families with prospective students. Being so "fresh" as one lady called me, it was an experience that definitely took me out of my comfort zone. To those of you who know me, this may be a shock, but I get rather unnerved in crowds of people I don't know in which I am somewhat the center of their attention. The first rotation was a little rough, and to be honest, kind-of awkward on both my part and the families I talked to. Maybe it was simply because the ice hadn't been broken yet.  I received questions like "why did you choose Ferrum?", "What dorm is the best?", and "What is your major?" Even though these questions are seemingly easy to answer, especially because I do in fact know the answers to them, answering them in the setting of the Scholarship Day luncheon was rather different and difficult at times. However, through repetition, the answering of questions and starting topics of conversation at the tables eventually became much easier for both myself and for the families as the luncheon progressed.

Being a part of the event was a treat in many ways, but for example, the food served was absolutely amazing. I would like to thank Dining Services for their continued success in making a good first impression to these (hopefully) future Ferrum families.  One difficult part for me and the other discussion leaders, which could also have been a good thing, was that it was difficult to really enjoy the food due to switching tables periodically. This challenge for me, however, meant that both the students and parents were really taking advantage of the purpose we were trying to accomplish in this new event. I am very thankful that I was asked to participate in Scholarship Day because it not only showed the families what Ferrum is like, but it showed me that challenging myself by stepping out of my comfort zone will only help me in the long run.

If you get an opportunity to participate in an event such as this, or even talk to prospective students between now and next semester, I strongly encourage you to make the best out of it. Not just for them, but for yourself as well. Thanks to all who made this special day occur.

Cari