Opportunities and Hard Work Pay Off!

by Paige R., Panther Blogger 


Over the past week and a half, I’ve been honored to receive recognition for my academic and extracurricular endeavors at Ferrum College. At the beginning of last week, I received the Minds-in-Medicine pin, a Lions mug, and Lions Branch Club certificate.

On Friday at Ferrum’s Academic Awards Ceremony, I received the award for Outstanding Student in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics as well as the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.

With Dr. Goff for the Minds-n-Medicine Club Award

With Dr. Braaten for the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award

With Dr. Braaten for the NSM Award

At the SGA Awards Banquet earlier this week, the Minds-N-Medicine Club (a club in which I’ve served as president for the past school year) was awarded Club of the Year for 2013-2014.  Yesterday, I learned that an article I co-wrote with a Ferrum professor was listed as one of the top articles for the journal in 2013!

Thank you to my wonderful professors, the faculty and staff, my friends, and my family who made all of this possible. It becomes clearer to me every day that I picked the best school possible to call home for three years. The opportunities I’ve had at Ferrum College would not have been possible at another institution. Thank you so much to everyone who has made my time at Ferrum superb! 

Getting My CPR Certification

by Paige R., Panther Blogger


On March 20th, fellow Minds-N-Medicine Club member Brittany and I attended the Western Piedmont Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) CPR training course in Martinsville.  Brittany and I are both registered MRC volunteers, so we were able to take the class free of charge.  During this course, we learned the proper methods for CPR on adults, children, and infants.  We also practiced the Heimlich maneuver.

I was so surprised at how sore I was the next day!  The manikins are made in a way that makes it very difficult to give compressions in a manner that is acceptable to receive certification.  In the picture, you can see a green light on the shoulder of the manikin.  This light indicates that the compressions I was giving were satisfactory.

As much as I hope that I never have to give CPR, I'm very glad that I do now have this certification and knowledge!  At Ferrum, it is very common for students to have opportunities like this to go out into the community to do volunteer work, to take a special course, or to work more closely in an area they are interested in.

Minds-N-Medicine Hosts a Blood Drive

by Paige R., Panther Blogger

On Wednesday, March 26th and Thursday, March 27th, the Minds-N-Medicine Club hosted a Virginia Blood Services Blood Drive in the YMCA.  Virginia Blood Services provides blood to the local community.  Every unit of blood that is donated can save up to three lives, directly fulfilling Ferrum's motto:  "Not Self, But Others."

As the President of the Minds-N-Medicine Club, assisting with the organization of the Blood Drive has become very special to me.  Up until the time I went to Zambia (check my video blog about that trip!), I donated blood at all of Ferrum's blood drives.  I am currently on deferral, but I will be able to donate again in August.

Daniel donating blood for
the first time.

Sticker that Virginia Blood Services
gives to blood donors.

Before each Blood Drive, our club holds sign-ups on campus.  One of my friends, Daniel, signed up to donate blood for the first time during this Blood Drive.  He signed up to donate during my lunch break, so I went and sat with him while he donated.

Virginia Blood Services
40-year anniversary t-shirt

Minds-N-Medicine Club member
Josh donating blood.

This experience was so rewarding for me because I had the opportunity to see Ferrum students taking a step to save lives.  While I observed students donating blood, I saw something change in them when they realized that what they were doing was going to make a significant impact on another person.  This event made me so proud of what the Minds-N-Medicine Club does and even more proud of the selflessness of Ferrum students.  Although this was the last Blood Drive I'll ever have the opportunity to assist with at Ferrum College, I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to see my peers make a difference.

Skits in Biochem Lab!

by Paige R., Panther Blogger

One of my favorite things about Ferrum is the faculty-to-student ratio and consequently, the small class size.  Because of these things, Ferrum students are often given the opportunity to do projects and activities that may not be possible at larger colleges or universities.

In Dr. Smelkova's biochemistry lab on February 27th last week, students used their theatrical skills to perform skits that represent signal-transduction pathways.  These signal-transduction pathways take place inside of our body regularly.  Examples of such pathways include the insulin receptor signaling which regulates metabolism, the epidermal growth factor hormone signaling which causes the growth of epidermal and epithelial cells, and the beta-adrenergic receptor signaling which binds with epinephrine.

I was in the beta-adrenergic receptor signal-transduction pathway skit group.  Our seven group members worked together to determine how to represent the pathway that has many components.  I think my fellow classmates would agree that these skits were a great way to learn the material and a fun activity to do in lab!  This was my favorite lab so far in biochemistry!

The College Republican Federation of Virginia Convention

by Paige R., Panther Blogger

The most important thing to do (other than go to class and do homework) as a Ferrum College student is to join clubs and get involved on campus.  Since Ferrum is far away from a large town, being involved on campus gives students something to do.  There are community service clubs, clubs that are related to different majors, and even political clubs that students can join.

I am Chair of Ferrum's College Republicans (CR) Club.  The club functions as a way for like-minded college students to discuss their political views.  Club members participate in community service events, campus events, and campaign for candidates.

Ferrum College CRs:  Alex T., Vice Chair Tim L.,
Chair Paige R., and Wes F.

During the weekend of February 8th, three other Ferrum students and I had the opportunity to attend the College Republican Federation of Virginia (CRFV) Convention in Richmond.  The convention included a dinner on Friday evening, a business convention on Saturday, and a social event on Saturday evening.

Ferrum College CR Chair,
Paige R., and Ferrum College
CR Vice Chair, Tim L.

Listening to current representatives such as Senator Warner, Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Mullins, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor speak reminded me that there are people who care about my generation.  These speakers discussed increasing the number of jobs so that college students can be employed after graduation.  They also discussed working on policies to improve the economic situations of southwest Virginia and to encourage the American dream.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor
addressing Virginia CRS

Me with ODU College Republican
secretary, Chelsi K.

At the convention, I had the opportunity to spend time with my fellow CRs and get to know CRs from other schools.  I stayed with CRs from Old Dominion University:  Chelsi K. (secretary), Sarah B. (second vice chair), and Martha C. (the past CRFV secretary).  I built a new bond with the CRs from Ferrum as well as CRs from other schools.

Being a college student with a strong political opinion can be very difficult, regardless of your party affiliation.  Without College Republicans at Ferrum, I would not have found the group of people who have similar views as me, and it would have been much more difficult for me to feel at home on this campus.  Obviously, being a Republican on a college campus is the unpopular opinion.  The majority of people our age have liberal views or choose not to get involved in politics.  Despite having the unpopular opinion, I feel like many of my fellow students and professors are supportive of me and other members of the club because we are active participants in our party.

My Trip to Zambia, Africa on a Medical Mission!

by Paige R., Panther Blogger

Please watch my video about my medical mission trip to Zambia, Africa!

Hello from New Panther Blogger Paige!

by Paige R., Panther Blogger

My name is Paige. I am a senior at Ferrum College majoring in Pre-Professional Science and Biology and minoring in Chemistry.  I am also a member of the college's Boone Honors Program. This is my third year at Ferrum and I wouldn't change any of my experiences at this amazing school!  When I graduate from Ferrum in May 2014, I hope to go to graduate school and eventually into the medical field.

I found out about Ferrum when the Admissions Office called my home during my senior year in high school. I had heard of the college before, but at the time, it wasn't one of the schools that I was considering.  After I learned about the numerous scholarships that I was eligible to receive through Ferrum, I came to campus for a visit. Once I visited campus for the first time, I knew that this beautiful community setting was right for me!

Three years later, I still know that I made the right decision. My favorite thing about Ferrum is the one-on-one attention that students have with their professors. I can always go to my professors for extra help with lecture material or homework.  I have many friends who go to larger colleges where their professors do not know them by name or even recognize them outside of the classroom.  I'm so glad that this would never be the case at Ferrum!

Ferrum is not located in a large city or town, so as a student, it is important to find things to do on campus.  As faculty, staff, and students commonly say - boredom is a choice here because of all the clubs and activities on campus. I am president of the Minds-n-Medicine Club, president of the College Republicans Club, and treasurer of the Lions Branch Club.  I am also a member of two honor societies on campus:  Tri Beta and Alpha Chi.  These clubs were originally a way for me to get involved on campus; through these clubs, however, I have developed the best friendships and relationships with faculty that I could ever hope for!  I am an Admissions Ambassador as well, and I give tours on some Saturdays during the semester.  Maybe I will see you on campus sometime soon!

Honors Conference: Our First Time in Boston!

by Jessa K. and Paige R., guest student bloggers

Before the sun came up on November 15th, we left for the Roanoke airport to begin our journey to Boston, Massachusetts for the National Collegiate Honors Conference. We were there with Dr. Stevens and Dr. Via, and it was the first time any of us had been to Boston. Everything was so new for us!  The view from our hotel room was amazing!  We agree that Boston is absolutely one of the most beautiful cities we had aver seen.

Dr. Stevens, Dr. Via, & us at the Old South
Meeting House

The first night, we were able to do a little exploring before the keynote speaker and the welcome reception. The conference did not really get underway until Friday. On Friday, Paige mentored two sessions. During the sessions, there was anywhere between one to six main speakers who took turns presenting research they had been working on during the year. The topics presented ranged from how to write a good honors program newsletter to analyzing surveys that honors students take about their courses. All of the sessions were extremely informative, and we were able to return to Ferrum with many ideas that we were excited to implement in our own Boone Honors Program.

Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!

On Saturday, we were able to go sightseeing in historical Boston. We saw all the major sites: Paul Revere's home, the Massachusetts Statehouse, the Commons, the Old Statehouse, Faneuil Hall, and Harvard College. Our favorite part was definitely the visit to Harvard. It was so beautiful and historical.

Visiting Harvard

As we traveled through the historical area, we did a lot of shopping and eating. We both tried oysters for the first time at Dr. Stevens' advice. They were very intriguing, but we're pretty certain that neither of us will be trying oysters again. We had a blast on the subway and found out the hard way that it is essential to hold onto something -- anything -- when the train takes off!

The Honors Conference was a very interesting experience. We are so glad that we had the opportunity to go and represent Ferrum College. It was so much fun to learn about another place, especially a place that holds such important historical value for our country. Next year, the conference will be held in New Orleans. We know that will be another great opportunity for Ferrum students to learn from other honors programs as well as bring research to present to help other programs.