Never Underestimate the Value of Community Involvement!

by Caleb T., Panther Blogger

I'm a huge believer that community involvement makes your college experience so much better.  Ferrum faculty and staff help students find great opportunities to get involved with the welcoming local community, and it's worth it!  Check out my video about ways that I've been involved in the local community of Ferrum and the surrounding areas during my time at Ferrum College.

Just in case you can't view the video here, try visiting the link on Youtube:
http://youtu.be/qeEjBVtbASk

Getting Plugged In With Ministries On and Off Campus

by Caleb T., Panther Blogger

Being involved in local church and in campus ministries at Ferrum has been a huge part of my time at Ferrum College!  Check out my video about spiritual life and campus ministries at Ferrum College - and sorry about the wind in the video!

Just in case you can't view the video here, try visiting the link on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qdW8_Bxwvw

Have Fun With the Ferrum College Rec Club!

by Caleb T., Panther Blogger

Hey guys!  I wanted to tell you a little bit about Ferrum College's Rec Club.  Please check out my video!  Thanks for watching!

Just in case you can't view the video here, try visiting the link on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6AUAyblp8w

My Favorite Courses in the Rec Program

by Caleb T., Panther Blogger

As I mention in my video below, I'd like to tell you a little bit about some of my favorite classes from the Recreation Program. There are some classroom-based classes, but we still spend most of our time outside the classroom.  The Rec Program is really good about providing hands-on experiences!  The classes I tell you about in my video below help you test your leadership skills as well.  This is just a taste of what the Rec Program has to offer.  Please check out my video!  Thanks for watching!

The Perks of the Recreation Leadership Minor and Ferrum Outdoors

by Caleb T., Panther Blogger

Check out my vlog below! 

If you can't see the video, you can also try watching it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at24cWgsMlU

Fire, Fire, Fire!

by Caleb T., Panther Blogger

Hey y'all,

I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but I have been doing so much on campus and also throughout the community of Ferrum. As some of you may know, I am the sergeant at Ferrum Rescue and also a member of Henry Fire Department. Well, on top of taking classes at Ferrum, I also try to take classes through Franklin County Public Safety, such as Vehicle Extraction, Firefighter 1, HAZ-MAT Operation, and many more.

This past fall, I had the opportunity to take Firefighter 1, and it was great.  Throughout the class, we had hands-on learning opportunities, but none as fun as our final burn.  Our final burn was the time when we took everything we had learned and applied it...in a real fire!  Talk about trial by fire!  I love my job as a firefighter/EMT, but the first time I got to go into a 1100-degree room, all I can say is WOW!  It was amazing!!  The feeling I got being in that burning room was one like I have never had before -- it was a mixture of fear, courage, and honor all collided into an amazing feeling. In that moment, the textbook might as well fly out the window, and the countless hours of training take over and everything becomes purely instinctive.  When you are face to face with a wall of flames, it is truly an experience like none I've ever had.

I have loved my time here at Ferrum because it has allowed me a chance to branch out and try things that I might not have otherwise tried. I have loved expanding my knowledge within the classroom but also within the community.

Off to Belize!

BY CALEB, PANTHER BLOGGER

Hey y’all, I’m writing this short blog post as I take a small break from packing. No, I’m not packing to go home for the summer, but instead I’m getting ready to go to Belize! Belize is a country located next to the southern tip of Mexico, on the north eastern coast of Central America – next to the Caribbean Sea. I’m taking the Tropical Rain Forest and Marine Ecology course for my E-term.

Now I’m sure some of y’all are asking what is an E-term? Well an E-term is a class that you have to take before you can graduate from Ferrum; it’s only three weeks long, but you get the opportunity to do something that you normally don’t get to do. I chose the Belize trip because first, I mean, who doesn’t want to go the rain forest and white sandy beaches? And second, we get to do research in the middle of the jungle! How cool is that?

Now I know that this trip is sounding more and more like a vacation, but honestly, we will be working hard with students from Virginia Tech and also Belize University. I really can’t wait to get there! I hope all of y’all are looking forward to summer and graduation and all that comes with the end of the school year. I hope all y’all have a great and safe summer!

Caleb

See you out there!

BY CALEB, PANTHER BLOGGER

Hey y’all!

During my first year here at Ferrum so far, I have been involved in many things as y’all know, but two of the biggest things for me are the Ferrum Rec Club and also Ferrum Outdoors. The Rec Club is one of many clubs on campus; we do a lot of fun outdoor activities, like night paddles, night zip lines, hikes, climbing trips, camping, and much more. It has been so much fun for me because it has given me the opportunity to do some things that I may not ever get to do outside of college. The Rec Club is always doing something: on any given day, you can find our members playing a round of disc golf or heading out on a hike. This club is really spontaneous unlike other clubs that carefully plan out what they are going to; the Rec Club is more like when someone wants to do something, we do it. Not to say that we don’t have organization—we do—we just want to have fun and introduce people to things that they may not normally get to do.

Ferrum Outdoors is a program here on campus that goes on some amazing trips and gives you opportunities to get out and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds the Ferrum campus. One of the first times I did anything with Ferrum Outdoors was at the beginning of last semester when they had a night zip, which is when we go up to the high ropes course at night. Now I know that seems a bit crazy and almost unsafe, but trust me, it’s really not. The Ferrum Outdoors staff makes sure everything is safe before they put anyone on the course. You’re up 30 feet in the air going through the course, and then at the end of the course you have a 350-foot zip-line! Sounds crazy maybe, but it’s worth it. It’s so much fun!

Daytime zip trip

Another thing that has kept me coming back for more and more is the fact that I learn something new every time, and the staff and people in the clubs are willing to explain things if you don’t understand how to do something. I love spending time with everyone that is involved in the outdoor programs.

Well, I guess that is about it for now. If y’all have any questions about the outdoor programs here at Ferrum, please let me know. Hope y’all have a good one!!

Going Green?

BY CALEB< PANTHER BLOGGER

Hey Ya’ll,

As I stated in my last blog post, I am currently majoring in Environmental Science, which means I get to do a lot of hands-on research projects. One of the biggest projects I have been working on so far is helping plan and design Ferrum College’s new Eco-Dorm.

Riddick Hall

Now some of you may be asking what is an Eco-Dorm? Well the funny thing is that is the exact question my professor Dr. Stevens asked my Introduction to Environmental Science (ESC 110) class last semester; what makes it even funnier is that he really didn’t know. Now please hear me out on this one. Dr. Stevens is a amazing environmental science professor, so the college came to him and asked him to come up with a plan to create an “Eco-Dorm” on campus; the college wanted the Eco-Dorm to be a “green” building and use less energy but also still be comfortable for students to live in.

Starting the student-driven eco-dorm project

Instead of coming up with the idea himself, Dr. Stevens brought the question before our class and told us to think of what an Eco-Dorm was to us. This was our semester project, which we all worked on. The cool thing about this project was that it was almost completely student-driven. Once Dr. Stevens gave us the idea, it was amazing to see how the students just ran with it. We still had some questions, but for the most part, it was all us. At the end of the semester, we presented our idea to the college as a whole, and the really cool part to see was that they actually listened to us. The first steps to transforming Riddick Hall into Ferrum’s first Eco-Dorm are under way right now! Over spring break, turf block was placed outside of Riddick Hall, and they are also looking at replacing the lighting very soon. We are hoping that most of the major renovations will take place over the summer.

It is really cool to see all this happening and know that I had a part in making it all come true. I do not think I would have had this opportunity if I had gone to college anywhere else. This project has shown me two main things about Ferrum College. One is that the students here really do have a voice and the College does listen to them. Secondly, the professors want you to get involved in your education – not just read something in a textbook, but actually have the opportunity to experience it! This is what makes Ferrum home for me.

Hope ya’ll have a good one!

Greetings from Ferrum College Student Blogger, Caleb!

BY CALEB, A PANTHER BLOGGER 

Hello all!  My name is Caleb, and I’m from Staunton, Virginia.  I am currently a freshman here at Ferrum College. I am presently majoring in Environmental Science with an Outdoor Recreational minor. This first year has been an amazing change in my life. Not only am I studying Environmental Science, but I have also had the opportunity to work on hands-on research projects – projects that involve the American chestnut tree and others that involve forensic science. Besides school, I am heavily involved in the Ferrum community. I am a member of both the Ferrum volunteer rescue squad and the Henry Volunteer Fire Department.  I also help out with ministries at a local church where I attend while I'm in school. I am so happy that Ferrum chose me, and yes, I said Ferrum chose me.

Student Blogger Caleb

I say Ferrum chose me because it really did! I had never heard of Ferrum, Virginia or even the college two and a half years ago. I only found out about this amazing place by way of my sister’s college, Shenandoah University. My parents were up in Winchester, Virginia having lunch with my sister, and then someone from the college came up and started talking about all that SU had to offer.  Like most parents do, my parents somehow threw my name into the mix and said that I was looking at Virginia Tech.  The person speaking with us said that I should look into Ferrum because it seemed to match up with what I wanted to do, not that Virginia Tech is a bad school. So I got more information and the first time I came down here to this gem hidden in the Blue Ridge, I fell in love. I fell in love with the place itself and also the people.

One of the things that I think sets Ferrum apart from all the other colleges in the state of Virginia is the fact that the community is so actively involved in the college; you don’t see that much anywhere else. Yes, Ferrum is a smaller college, but please don’t let that fool you. Just because Ferrum doesn’t have thousands of students, it is, in my book, the best college there is. It is not unusual for me to walk to class and know almost everyone I see.  You are not going to get that close family that you get here anywhere else.

I have loved my first year down here in beautiful Ferrum, Virginia so far, and I look forward to the next three years to come. I can’t wait to see what great thing I am going to do here at Ferrum College. Have a good one y’all!