#MyFerrum Experience in Academics

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

With the onset of the #MyFerrum campaign, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to write some of my upcoming blogs on different facets of #MyFerrum experience!

In my freshman year, fall of 2012, I began my horticultural path by being enrolled in BIO-202, Introduction to Plant Science.  I sat directly up front and remember the first day being the only freshman in the class.  Because I had taken AP Biology in high school, the credits transferred and I was able to take the 200-level class during my first semester at Ferrum.  I also took AGS-110 Issues in Agriculture that first semester, which really broadened my horizons on how much further agriculture reached than just my realm of greenhouses and floristry.

The next semester, spring of 2013, I enrolled in HOR-321 Plant Propagation, which was taught by my advisor, Dr. Pohlad.  I had the amazing luxury of being just one of six in that class, which let me begin to develop a relationship with my advisor and with Ferrum's agricultural program that couldn't be matched anywhere else.  We did projects such as help run the Plant Sale that occurs every spring, and even fill the planters and design the flowers of Dr. Braaten's home.  We went on field trips to Virginia Tech to view their tissue culture lab, and we traveled to Riverbend Nursery to get a tour and first-hand look on how a commercially larger-scale operation is run.  That same semester, I started my green roof practicum and took both half-semester horticulturally-derived topics in science classes:  SCI-124 Edible Wild Plants and SCI-130 Healthy House Plants.  This was also the semester that I traveled abroad to Peru for my E-Term, and the Honor's Program enriched the class by producing a field guide for the orchids of the Inca Trail!

The following fall of 2013, I took HOR-410 Greenhouse Management also with Dr. Pohlad, which was my first 400-level class in my field.  This had more of an impact than I expected, which was very fortunate for me.  Back when I toured Ferrum College before I was a student, my admissions counselor brought us through the Academic Resource Center and talked about the Peer Assisted Learning Program, where students can be tutors to help fellow students learn and understand specific classes better.  I remember her explaining that and how I could not wait to eventually one day be a PAL tutor in a horticulture class!  Well, three semesters later, I was asked if I wanted to help out and tutor BIO-202 since I was proficient in my knowledge and already taking my major classes in my sophomore year.  I obviously said "yes"!

My design for the Adam's Lake Riparian garden

Since then, I have taken HOR-418 Plant Pest Management, which let me become legally licensed in pesticide application, and HOR-411 Landscape Design and Management, which presented me the opportunity produce and present a design for our Titmus Agricultural Center entrance and the Adam's Lake Riparian garden.  My proposal was actually chosen and reproduced for the Adam's Lake Riparian garden restoration project!  The semester after those two classes - in the fall of 2014 - I took HOR-415 Plant Disease, AGY-315 Soil Science and Management, and AGS-417 Agricultural Business Management.  While still continuing to tutor the BIO-202 class, I also did another practicum where I was additionally a Lab Assistant for the class.  This gave me valuable experience first-hand on how to work in a lab as a facilitator while also providing me the opportunity to hone my skills in teaching and explanation.

My Riparian garden design being implemented!

Currently, I am enrolled in BIO-419 Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, which I am loving, and I am I beginning to undertake a project studying tissue culture and phytohormone application.  This project, tied in with my junior seminar paper, is helping me and teaching me how to properly go about producing and conducting graduate-level work.  This semester, I also began tutoring HOR-321 Plant Propagation, which I took just year before, so I have a feeling of accomplishment that really helps me get up in the morning.  I have this all thanks to #MyFerrum experience!

With only AGS-314 Animal/Plant Breeding & Genetics left to complete my major's required classes and BIO-306 Nonvascular Plants & Fungi left to take as an elective to complete the requirements to be invited into the National Biology Society, I know that my time left here at Ferrum is coming to a close.  But a year is still a lot of time to continue to make my mark on this campus because:  This is #MyFerrum. 

"Stacks for the Kids" Fundraiser with ZXE

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

On November 3rd, Zeta Chi Epsilon was making stacks on stacks...of pancakes!  This sorority that I "sweetheart" for has a fundraiser every semester for our philanthropy, The Child Advocacy Center in Rocky Mount. The fundraiser is called Stacks for the Kids.  It's held in Confetti's, which is on the bottom floor of Bassett, a dorm on campus.  Confetti's has everything from a kitchen to couches to big screen TVs!  Tickets were sold in the Franklin Hall atrium for a couple of weeks before the event.  A $2 ticket got the purchaser a plate of three pancakes or wait what...three waffles!  Tickets became $3 at the door, $1 for another plate once they were there, and 100% of the proceeds went to the philanthropy.

The night started off wonderfully with the Bassett fire alarm going off at 7 p.m. (the intended start time of the fundraiser), but finally we were able to get back down there and keep cooking!  ZXE provided all of the toppings, such as butter, syrup, whipped cream, strawberries, bananas, and even had coffee with all of the fixings.

A wide variety of people showed up, from students to professors to family, and at the end of the night, we raised enough money to donate $100 to the Child Advocacy Center of Rocky Mount.  A professor who is on the Advising Panel for this organization said she could not have been more pleased with what we were doing and how much it meant to her and the children.

Overall, the night was filled with fun and excitement, as well as the joy of knowing we were doing something good for others just like Ferrum's motto says: "Not Self, But Others."  So be on the lookout each semester here on out for campus mail talking about Stacks for the Kids, and I hope to see everyone there!

A Guided Hike of Ferrum's DeHart Botanical Garden!

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

Every year, Ferrum College has a different overarching theme for both semesters that is chosen by one of the three different academic schools, which rotate turns to choose the theme.  In my freshman year, our theme was "Sustainability," which was headed by the school I am in - Natural Sciences and Math.  Last year, it was chosen and run by the School of Social Science and Professional Studies and was titled "Sustaining Community Engagement," which touched on philanthropy.  Well, this year, the theme was up to the School of Arts and Humanities, and they created the current theme titled "Roots and Routes."  Because the theme is supposed to be an integral part of life here at Ferrum College, many activities, speeches, and programs that occur through the year are part of the theme event.

Well, on October 4th, a guided hike of the DeHart Botanical Garden of Ferrum College was given to fulfill one of these theme events.  It took about 45 minutes by van to reach the site, and once we were all there and unloaded ourselves, we began the trek up the mountain.  Having Dr. Pohlad, my advisor and the head of the Horticulture Program, lead the tour made it all the better. We explored a cave, discovered a neon orange edible mushroom, and some people even ate a jelly fungus!  Being able to see and appreciate all these extra little things that Ferrum College has to offer really and truly makes me proud of my school and confirms my belief that this is where I am meant to be.

Returning Home

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

This summer, I spent almost the entirety of the time from May 1st to August 26th back home with my family in Richmond, Virginia.  I attended a couple classes at the local community college to pick up a few credits when I could, and worked a couple jobs in retail and the restaurant business.  Living with my parents and my three younger siblings, life at home this summer was hectic yet boisterous.

Yet after my seeming four-month vacation to visit my family back in Richmond, in late August, I was able to finally return home.  Starting my third year here at Ferrum College meant that I was finally considered an upperclassman and that was something I could not wait to take advantage of.  First off, that means that in my upper-class 300 and 400-level classes, I am no longer seen as the weird freshman taking harder classes.  It means that now I am on my way to being at the very top of my major and having the feeling of all that is under my belt is incredible.  Second, after four months, I FINALLY got to see my friends again!

Going through high school, everyone kept telling me that the friends you make in college you make for life.  Being the moody teenager at the time, I shrugged it off thinking "yeah right, college is not going to be any better than high school."  Well, three years later, I can easily and honestly say that everyone was right.  I have made friends in this short amount of time that I know will last forever.

Third, and maybe even better than seeing my friends again this year, is that Ferrum is a community where as an upperclassman, I can finally be myself.  Going through high school was a mix of being told who I was supposed to be and struggling to figure out who I really was.  Coming to Ferrum was probably the best decision of my life because now, three years later, free from the pressure of everyone telling me who I am, I have finally figured it out on my own and can be supported and thrive in this beautifully small, private campus.

It isn't all rainbows and sunshine though. Being an upperclassman comes with a lot of hard work and new responsibilities, such as being an Active Sweetheart in the sorority Zeta Chi Epsilon, as well as being on the Executive Board for the Ferrum Greek Council, and all the other plethora of activities - including the Boone Honors Program - that being a successful, involved college student requires.

I cannot wait to see what this semester and year have in store, but I know one thing:  it'll be something to never forget!

My E-Term Trip to Peru!

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

In May 2013, I took an Experiential Term (E-Term) course where we traveled to Peru.  This course was for two programs.  For those of us who took the course for Recreation Leadership, it was "Peru Cultural & Heritage Tourism," and for those in the Spanish program, it was "Andean Culture in Peru." 

Here's a short video about my e-term trip to Peru last May.  Enjoy!

My Study Abroad Trip to China!

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

Better late than never - here's a short video about my study abroad trip to China this past summer 2013.  Enjoy!

The Value of Friendships at Ferrum

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

Being a first-semester freshman at a considerably smaller school, I hear a lot of talk about how people don't like the school for many different reasons. The classic one I always hear is that people are "bored." To counter that, I always hear that Ferrum's unofficial slogan is "Boredom is an option."  Then there are the people who say the school is too small and everyone knows everything that happens, or that there is just no variety in activities to do, and that they want to leave. For those students, I am sorry your experience at Ferrum did not live up to what you thought it would be, but for me, it has surpassed anything that I had expected.

First, I literally do not understand how you can be bored and go to this school!  There are so many clubs, intramurals, sports, and just overall campus-wide activities that I have a huge white-board calendar in my room so I can keep track of when everything is happening.  Almost all the time, I have to choose between multiple items because a lot of the activities overlap. When school started getting into full-swing, I even had to cut out some of the clubs and activities I was in so I could make room for school work.

Secondly, I know this does not fit everyone's personality types, but the fact that this is a smaller school lets me know more of the student population, and lets me be known by others; for me, that is amazing. I love walking to class and having people yell "Hey!" at me or just waving frantically across campus at someone I met once.  I love the idea that by senior year, once all of these freshman naysayers leave, the size of our graduating class will allow me to know every single person. To me, that turns us from a class into a family that has struggled through all four years together, through the thick and thin of everything.  Before coming to Ferrum, I thought about going to Virginia Tech, but now that I have been here and have been back to Tech to visit friends, the idea of my class being over 10,000 people and it taking half an hour to walk across campus turns me off completely.

Finally, I cannot possibly fathom the idea of being bored when you have friends here at Ferrum. Immediately after being accepted to Ferrum, I was placed into the Facebook group for the graduating class of 2016.  Long before I even graduated high school, I began to chat with other people who had been accepted and were also coming to Ferrum.  I met a couple of people through that group who I talked to and even Skyped with over the summer.

I became really good friends with one girl, and we hung out a couple of times over the summer and made some amazing stories ("Alright, enough sharing!  I'm the princess!").  I talked with another girl and we ended up doing the Freshman Scholars Program together over the summer at Ferrum, and we are still amazing friends now ("What are you gonna throw at me? STUPID?!").  Over the summer, I talked with one of my great friends now, and we have made some crazy days here on campus that I would never change for anything ("I just knocked over an eggplant! ...That's not an eggplant!").  My roommate, of course, has been awesome considering he listens to all my rambling and laughs at my ridiculous jokes ("The drawer has been open this whole time! ...No, it hasn't!").  And, finally, while being on campus, I have made the best friends in the world as well. You know who you are -- just read the quotes.  ("Go big orangeee!" "I like falling backwards." "Do you even have legs?" "Well, speaking of Amish.")

These friends are my life, and when I'm not super-busy with school work or club activities, I am always with them.  I have learned that even if it has only been a couple months of knowing them, I can count on and trust them with anything I could possibly ever need. So, to incoming freshman or anyone who is thinking about leaving, all I can say is you just need to make awesome friends and your time at Ferrum will be the time of your life.

Mascotting!

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

In high school, my four years were split between two commitments during football season: marching band and being the mascot. The two activities were not mutually exclusive though; when I was in the marching band, we would dance like crazy when the mascot was out, and then while I acted as the mascot, so much of my energy and movement came from the band in the stands. So, when I heard that Ferrum had no marching band at all – not even a small pep band – it made my job of “mascotting” a little bit harder and a whole lot less fun. During the first two games here at Ferrum, with my debut of being the new Panther, I had to play songs in my head and just feed myself my own crazy stunts, which is fortunately not that hard.

When Ferrum’s Homecoming came around on October 13th, I expected to do the same thing as usual. Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise. As the cheerleaders and I were walking to the stadium, the band was walking up with music stands and instruments! Though the Ferrum band is small, I guess the new director they hired this year decided to bring the band out and give it a try. I was so excited to hear what they would play and be able to once again feed off of the band’s music.

Well, as the game went on, the band did little ditties such as a kickoff drumroll, the Imperial March from Star Wars, and even a fight song with a chant to go along as well! In high school, when the band played the fight song, there was always a dance that I did as the Eagle; I figured, why not create a dance for the Panther? So I did. Anytime the pep band played a song, I did my own little dance which I now call the Panther Trot. (Yes, I know panthers don’t trot; horses trot. But there is a dance called the foxtrot, so does that make any more sense than this?) So next time the band plays and you see the Panther doing a dance, come join me and learn the Panther Trot!

As the game ended and everything started slowing down, I was so ecstatic about the experience of having Ferrum’s very own band play at the game, but I assumed that was where it ended and that this had been a one-time deal for Homecoming. Little did I know then, but as I learned later after receiving a campus email about it, Ferrum just recently got permission to start an actual, full-fledged pep band!  Hopefully now, the band will be at every game! My first homecoming experience as a whole was completely amazing with the band making it so much better. I look forward to my homecomings still to come, and a lot more crazy dancing memories I still have to make.

Also, I realize “mascotting” isn’t an actual word, but I’m coining it as a word. The act of being in a boycott is boycotting, so why shouldn’t the act of being a mascot be called mascotting? Think about it!

An Introduction: The Orange-Loving, Yankee Horticulturist from Richmond

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

Going to Ferrum, and especially just being in the South for the past four years has been challenging for one reason: I’m a Yankee, born and bred. I was born in Bronxville, New York, and I lived in Yonkers until I was seven. Over the next seven years, I moved to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and then Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, until four years ago, we finally settled our roots in Richmond, Virginia. They say Virginia is for Lovers, but does that mean everyone loves Virginia? I didn’t at first. I was stuck in my way of not knowing that barbeque isn’t grilled chicken, and that camouflage doesn’t match everything, and I was especially adamant on going to college at Penn State. Over the four years, Virginia grew on me thanks to my friends through high school, my family along the way, and the fact that we did get a lot of snow each winter sure helped me adjust. I am now proud to call Richmond my home, even though sometimes I will be asked, “Where are you from?” and I will have to choke back a response of "New York.” Along with the transition, I am so happy I ended up at Ferrum and not another college because there is nowhere else I would rather be.

The other day, after hearing me talk about my four-year plan through college, one of my friends looked at me and yelled, “Well you are like the 1% who has actually known what they want to do since they were born!” Truthfully, I can’t argue with that statement either, except maybe not since birth, but by the age of seven. When I was seven, I claimed I wanted to be a Field Biologist and study at Guilford College. I proceeded to create a whole packet explaining what Field Biology was and how I could use my future skills. As a grew up, I still possessed the same interests, but around the age of twelve, I believe I started turning away from the animal side of the job and more toward the plant aspect. I went through a couple different names for the field I had chosen after that until I was fourteen the summer before freshman year of high school when I decided on horticulture. 

From then on, I tried to get as much experience in the field as I could. I became a member of both the Richmond Bonsai Society and the Virginia Orchid Society, took classes to become a Certified Horticulturist through the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, and even took advantage of the only agricultural program available in Henrico County. During my senior year, I was President of my Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter through my Greenhouse Management program in the Technical Center, and because I am nationally certified in Landscaping, Floriculture, and Greenhouse Management, I also have a diploma in Greenhouse Management as well. Through the program last year, thanks to my wonderful teacher, I realized that I wanted to teach as well, which led me to minor in Teacher Education so I can get my certification. In the long run, I plan on going to graduate school, getting a doctorate and becoming a Professor of Horticulture at a prominent college, and teaching the information I love to students who share that passion.

Finally, I will throw out some facts about myself. My favorite color is orange, which no doubt is number one. If you see a guy with orange shoes or jacket or glasses or hat or… well anything neon orange, then it is probably me. I am super open, outgoing, and love to have a great time. Come say hi to me or give me a high-five; whether I know you or not, I would do the same thing to a complete stranger as well! Lastly, if you are ever at a Ferrum football game, you better dance with the Panther because the mascot is the symbol of Ferrum school spirit!

The Closing Ceremony - Really a Goodbye?

(Brett was one of two students who worked on the Habitat Use and Activity Patterns of Reptiles and Amphibians in Relation to Temperature and Humidity project with faculty mentor Dr. Todd Fredericksen during the inaugural Freshman Scholars Program in summer 2012.)

by Brett W., Freshman Scholar and Guest Blogger

For Friday, August 10th, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., the schedule showed that there would be a Final Poster Session and closing ceremony in the Grousbeck 2nd floor lounge. To everyone else, this might have seemed like a "goodbye," but not for me. For example, say you see something amazing through the window of a door. You walk through that door to go into the amazing new world, but once you leave it, you close the door behind you on the way out. Although you have left, I don’t think you ended it; you’ve just simply moved on. That’s what happened in the Grousbeck 2nd floor lounge on August 10.

Throughout the twelve amazing days in the Freshman Scholars program, I worked alongside my roommate, friends, colleagues, and future professors to ultimately collect data for my project, which built up to creating the final poster and my presentation of it. In just those few days though, I did more than just work alongside those people; I grew close to them – every single one – students and professors alike. By doing so, the experiences I shared with them will remain with me throughout all of college, and for some, the rest of my life.

Therefore, when 9 a.m. on August 10 rolled around and I was interviewed by Ferrum Admissions about my project and how the week had gone, I was talking about more than just the science behind the project or the technicalities of the trip; I was talking about my life experience and how much this program meant to me. I was talking about my project to the professors, deans, provost, and president as more than just a program participant though: I was talking to them as friends.

 
A lot of people might want to walk back through the door they just closed because they are scared of what is in the new world. Originally, they were drawn to the amazing opportunities they saw available, but now what? What if something goes wrong? I might have felt this way. I might have felt as if I was saying goodbye to the world I just left, but I don’t feel that way because I have friends now to help me through this new world I’ve just entered; friends who will stay with me along the way.