Greetings from Ferrum College Student Blogger, Anna!

BY ANNA, A PANTHER BLOGGER

Hey guys, I’m Anna. I am a transfer graduate from Virginia Western Community College, and my major is Business Management. I am from Buchanan, Virginia where I started my own photography business while I was in high school. I went to community college to get my general studies taken care of and then transferred to Ferrum College to focus on my core curriculum classes, as well as to build a network with faculty and friends that cannot be found anywhere else. With my Business Management degree, I plan to advance further as a professional photographer with my business, and to possibly work for the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. With high hopes, I know I can achieve my goals one day. I am a senior this year, and I plan to graduate May 5, 2012.

Copyright A.B.E. Photography

On campus, Ferrum College is nicknamed “God’s Country,” and it fits!  I found out about Ferrum because my cousin attended school here and I came to see him graduate; I fell in love with the college! The scenery at Ferrum, the friendships that my cousin had, and the learning atmosphere that the college offers all made me realize that Ferrum could be the place for me. I graduated from Virginia Western in 2010 and the only place I could imagine myself going was Ferrum! 

Ferrum is small and rural, but that is not a bad thing. You are not just a face; you are a face with a name, and everyone actually cares about who you are and where you are outside of class. Your grades and extracurricular activities are just as important to them as they are to you.  I am constantly in the same building every day—Beckham Hall—and I have come to know that my fellow students in the business department and my teachers are my family. We look out for one another.

My number one piece of advice is to Go To Class!  I never miss class unless I am sick, and even then, I email my professors to tell them I am sick. That shows my teachers that I care. One time I missed my final exam in Accounting because of a long story of events, and my professor sent a resident assistant to come see if I was okay. I was frantic and he knew that me missing class rarely happened, so he offered to give me my exam and I passed the class with an A. Instances like mine do not happen often, so take control of your studies.

My second piece of advice is to Get Involved On Campus!  There are so many clubs, sports and organizations to fit anyone and everyone, and you can be involved in as many as you want!  I currently am Student Government President, a cheerleader, a sister of Zeta Chi Epsilon, and a member of Students in Free Enterprise.  At the same time, I still have the title of professional photographer and take pictures of campus and my life here as much as possible. There are also plenty of other things to do off campus as well. My favorite thing to do is to drive to Philpott Lake and sit on the beach or the dock and do homework, or go out for a day with sorority sisters and fraternity brothers. We don’t swim all the time, but just to have a nice relaxing spot off campus with a pretty view is a luxury that I must take advantage of.  

All in all, there is no Facebook status, thesis paper, picture from an event or blog post that can express to you how much I love Ferrum. Having cookouts with my fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, cheering so hard that I lost my voice, studying with my classmates and making websites for a local cabinetry shop are just a FEW of the things I did in one semester, but in a year, the memories just get to be too many to list!  The faculty, staff, students and family I have made at Ferrum truly are one-of-a-kind and I could not ask for more. Whether it is a Saturday night or a Tuesday afternoon, a memory to cherish is made here.