From Freshman to Senior Year

by Stephanie D., Panther Blogger

Going into my freshman year at Ferrum College, I never thought I would succeed as much as I did.  Freshman year is all about adjustment to life on your own, new people, and new living conditions.  Luckily, this was all made very easy by the faculty and staff.  I've been a cheerleader since my freshman year, and playing a sport really got me on track.  Not only did it get me on campus a week early, which helped me learn the college better, but it also provided structure in my day-to-day routine.  I was able to attend team study halls, which helped with my grades, and I made friends with upperclassmen.

Now, it's my senior year and I have been accepted into Radford University's Criminal Justice Graduate Program!  I could not have done this without the preparation that Ferrum has given me. The outstanding resources, the academic atmosphere, and the faculty who helped me get to where I wanted to be really showed me that dreams could come true.  I am so thankful for the experience that Ferrum gave me as an undergraduate that I would recommend Ferrum to any and every senior in high school I meet.

From freshman year to senior year, there were bumps along the way, but at Ferrum, the motto is "Not Self, But Others" and this was implemented by my peers and professors to help me succeed and get the most I could out of my education.  I couldn't be more excited to graduate and further my education at Radford, but I will truly be heartbroken when I miss Ferrum because this is where I found who I'm supposed to be.  I can't wait to call myself a Ferrum alumna!

Learning Abnormal Psychology for Criminal Justice

by Stephanie D., Panther Blogger

My favorite class this semester is Abnormal Psychology with Dr. Dahl.  It is a really interesting class and it teaches me a lot about people who have various disorders.  It's important to understand these disorders in the Criminal Justice field.  As a student in that field, I would imagine that these disorders have much to do with the crimes that are committed every day.  Learning about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety, eating disorders, and many other disorders that many people suffer from is very helpful in my other Criminal Justice and Sociology classes.  Understanding why people commit crimes is half of understanding criminal justice.  In order to understand civilians, we need to take classes such as Abnormal Psychology and be able to recognize the typical struggles that people face from day to day.

My Last Ferrum Homecoming as an Undergrad

by Stephanie D., Panther Blogger

Homecoming weekend is a weekend where alumni and current students come together and celebrate Ferrum College and all of its accomplishments.  This year, homecoming at Ferrum also included the family festival and the hall of fame inductees. Friday, September 26th started off with the family festival. There was a BBQ dinner along with live entertainment!  There was also a parade that showed off sports teams and clubs on campus. For this parade, we had a banner-making contest that the clubs and teams took part of to earn a cash prize!  On Saturday, September 27th, the Ferrum Football team played the Bishops from NC and lost by 4 points.  The game was awesome and the team played so well throughout the whole game.

Homecoming is also a chance to get to know alumni and make connections with those who have graduated and experienced "the real world."  Networking with alumni is a great way to get first hand knowledge on what steps to take after graduation. These alumni might even be able to get you a job!  Ferrum has the friendliest faculty and staff, as well as alumni, and it is very easy to make a new friend at every event that Ferrum holds. I am sad to say that this was my last homecoming as an undergraduate at Ferrum College, but it was my best one yet!

Introduction to New Blogger Stephanie!

by Stephanie D., Panther Blogger


My name is Stephanie and I am a senior at Ferrum College. I have studied at Ferrum for the past three years, and as I head into my fourth year, I plan to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Criminology and minors in sociology and accounting.  My favorite hobby is reading and my favorite book is Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight.  I have been a cheerleader for almost 13 years. I have a brother who is a sophomore at Villanova University.  My family is my support system and without them, I wouldn't be the person and student I am today.

I am involved in many things on campus.  I am a captain on the Ferrum cheerleading squad, an active sister in Theta Gamma Omega, a PAL (peer assisted learning) tutor for accounting 201, and a member of the Criminal Justice Club.  I'm from Chesapeake, Virginia and an alumni of Hickory High School.  After graduating, I plan to attend graduate school and study for a master's degree in either criminology or something related to criminal justice.  I have not decided on the school I would like to attend and I am currently studying for the GRE.




I'm also a resident assistant at Ferrum College and absolutely love my job!  I chose to attend Ferrum College because of the beautiful campus and scenery change!  Going from the beach to the mountains is something I look forward to every year.  Ferrum has changed my life and I am so thankful that I am a student here.  I have benefited very much from the small classroom sizes and the individual attention I can seek when I need it.  There are many resources for students that have helped me immensely, such as the math center and writing center.

This past summer, I studied abroad through an E-Term course and had the time of my life!  I went to Belize for 15 days and it changed my outlook on life.  I can't thank Ferrum enough for all it has prepared me for and all it has instilled in me.  I am looking forward to being able to call myself an alumna of Ferrum College and continuing to do what Ferrum has prepared me for:  going after my dreams and not settling for anything less!