Hello from New Panther Blogger Rachel!

by Rachel W., Panther Blogger

Hello, my name is Rachel and I am a junior at Ferrum College.  I am originally from a small town in Carroll County, Virginia.  I am majoring in Social Work and will be interning at the Franklin County Hospice this summer!  The wonderful thing about earning a Social Work degree is that there are so many different agencies I can work with, so I'm not sure where I'll end up after graduation.

I am President of the Social Work Club, an active member in the Ferrum College Lions Branch Club, a Leadership Fellow, a Peer Assisted Learning Tutor, an admissions ambassador, and the E-term student assistant.  When I'm not busy with school and organizations, I love working with photography and typing for my personal blog.

When I was a senior in high school, I met Tiffany Gordon, one of Ferrum's admissions counselors, at a college fair.  She was telling me about Ferrum and it sounded like an awesome school. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to major in Social Work, and Tiffany told me about how great Ferrum's program was. After I visited Ferrum's campus for the first time, I knew this was where I would be spending the next four years of my life.  What truly attracted me to Ferrum was the sense of community, and the small class sizes.  Coming from a small high school, it was extremely important for me to know that each of my professors would know me on a first name basis.

Dogwood tree on campus

Another thing I really love about Ferrum is that it is multicultural. I've learned a ton about other cultures from my peers and professors!  There are specific classes to help you learn about other cultures as well as study abroad opportunities.

I would recommend Ferrum to anyone who was looking for a very personalized education. Here at Ferrum, you know your professors personally, and there are a ton of majors and minors you can earn.  Ferrum offers a lot of academic resources to help their students succeed as well.  Between professors being able to help you one-on-one and the peer tutoring that is offered, there is always help available.  Ferrum also has a writing center and a math center where professors help you with papers or your math homework.  It's extremely helpful and helps boost your grade!  These are great resources and the best part is that they are all completely free for students to use, which is very rare to find in a college or university.

Social Work Conference

The Social Work Program is awesome here at Ferrum!  I know that no matter where I end up after graduation, I will be fully prepared for graduate school or for a career.  Jennie and Martha, the two main Social Work professors, are highly skilled and knowledgeable about the field.  Both of them take a lot of time to find the perfect internship for each student and they offer an excellent hands-on learning environment.

Enjoying the snow at the farm at Ferrum!

This semester is going to be super-busy for me!  The Social Work Club is planning on visiting kids at an after-school center, adults at the local nursing home, and the homeless at the local homeless shelter.  The Lions Branch Club is participating in Read Across America and a diabetes awareness day.  And that's just the beginning!

I'm excited to be a Panther Blogger and I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences here at Ferrum College!