My Work-Study with Ferrum Outdoors!

by Cari A., Panther Blogger

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you may have noticed that I mention the Freshman Scholars Program quite often. This is another one of those times where that program set in motion a lot of things I have now.  One that I am very proud and honored to have is my work-study position with Ferrum Outdoors. I was first introduced to the program when Aaron Conover and Dan Caston brought our Scholars group together to form a family.

During our time with Aaron and Dan, we were challenged to perform tasks that could ONLY be performed with every single member of our team. We as a team worked with balance, communication, problem-solving, and - my personal favorite - trust. We had all just met 11 new and different people, and this exercise not only tested our individual willpower to overcome our own limits, it also forced each of us out of our comfort zones to meet and connect with the 11 other people with whom we would be spending 2 full weeks. This event not only formed several friendships with people I still call friends now, but it showed me that this was something I wanted to do during my four years here at Ferrum.

Since this past summer, I have been hired with Ferrum Outdoors as a recreational leader and have been leading events such as caving, scuba diving rock climbing, kayaking, and most recently, skiing and snowboarding. These trips are all things that appeal to me in different ways. Being a pre-med major, most of my time is spent in a lab studying chemistry or biology, so to get the opportunity to step back from that and go completely out of my major is absolutely keeping me sane!  Through working with Ferrum Outdoors, I have met a whole different part of the campus population here because this activity is so far out of my element. I am very glad that I found Ferrum Outdoors because it has been a major component in keeping me involved at Ferrum and enjoying every minute of being a student here!  Taking the time to relax and take a break from the class work is exactly what every student needs.

- Cari

The Inheritance of Virtue

by Chang S., Panther Blogger

It was near midnight when we saw Zhen off. He graduated and left Ferrum, the place where he devoted four years of time. He said it might be the last time he felt the grasslands at Ferrum, and he said he'll miss those lands.

From my perspective, part of being an international student at Ferrum is seeing off seniors like Zhen or the exchange students, along with welcoming new international students. I have already seen three seniors off in one whole year.  And here, three is not as small a number as you might think. We are a small, but close-knit group. We come from different parts of the world:  China, Ethiopia, Northern Ireland, Kenya, Russia, and South Korea.  It is easy to recognize us from the crowds.

The majority of us speak English with a "unique" accent, and in many circumstances, we have difficulty expressing what we want. You might come across one of us in the food court, stammering and trying to order a meal. But those efforts should be respected because they show that we're trying to be a part of the community. The locals should also be respected as they are friendly and try to accept the awkward attempts of the international students. Among these locals, we especially appreciate our advisor, Sasha, Professor Johnson, and the theatre folks. They have been treating us with the greatest generosity, and they build us a home overseas.

I came across a picture of some of the international students and me. The picture was taken on a hiking trip last year when we reached the tip of the mountain. The clear, blue sky formed a perfect harmony with the Blue Ridge Mountains. One of the memorable parts about this trip was that it was organized by Mr. Rene Reiner, who had been a former international student at a college in Roanoke and who took on the U.S. nationality a couple of years after he graduated.

Rene told us:  "...When you are my age, you may have a nice job...a fortune. Spend some time with the international students, someone like yourselves as you once were."  Folks like Rene showed their kindness and hung out with him when he was new to the country. Rene had a great time with those locals. He was moved, and so in turn, he wanted to share his time with us - the next generation of internationals. Similar to the way people hold doors for the people after them, even tiny actions pay off.  Seniors receive kindness from their friends, either from native people or from other internationals, and they pass the kindness to those who follow them. Generations and generations on.

Inheritance of virtue -- one of the best things about humanity, I suppose.

New Experiences

by Maryann C., Panther Blogger

This is my last semester at Ferrum College. I am having many different emotions about this fact. I feel excited, nervous, scared, sad, and glad all at the same time! I thought my last semester at Ferrum would not have any new experiences for me; after all, I have been here for four years. I felt like I had done everything there was to do. Well, I was wrong!

This semester, I am doing an internship at Ferrum Elementary School and an "externship" at the Gereau Center in the nearby Town of Rocky Mount.  The Gereau Center is part of the Franklin County middle school where 8th graders go for half of the school year.

Working at Ferrum Elementary School is going to be a very new experience for me. I am studying secondary education, so I have not worked with this younger age group in school before. I have met with my cooperating teacher once and have observed her class one time so far. Based on my first impression, I think I'm going to have a great time working with these kids and learn a lot from my cooperating teacher.

I have done internships at the Gereau Center before, but this one is going to be very different for my cooperating teacher and me. This semester, one of my main focuses is to create lesson plans that all the teachers could access and use that they desire. Let me explain.

At the Gereau Center, they have what is called the CEED Building. It is an environmentally-stable building, and it uses energy from the environment - such as wind and solar - to power itself. The CEED Building also collects data, such as temperature, precipitation, and carbon dioxide levels. My goal is to take the data that the CEED Building collects and use it to create lesson plans, and then make those lesson plans accessible to all teachers.

I am very excited to begin working in both of these internships with the Franklin County Public School system.  I think I am going to learn a lot and of course gain experience. It's amazing how the faculty and staff at Ferrum College never cease to go beyond my expectations with the opportunities and support they provide.

Greetings from New Panther Blogger, Rachel!

by Rachel B., Panther Blogger

Hi, my name is Rachel. I am a sophomore here on campus. One of the main reasons I was attracted to Ferrum was because of the proximity to my house. I am just a hop, a skip, and a jump down Route 40. I am far enough away from home to stay on campus, but close enough to go home on the weekend. One of our family traditions was to see the Jack Tale Players every summer and attend the Folklife Festival every fall. I love the sense of community that Ferrum offers through its programs and activities.

I would recommend Ferrum to any student. This may not be the biggest campus in the world, but it has a lot of opportunities for involvement. At Ferrum, you are not a student ID number; you are a face with a name. This meant the world to me! I decided to come to Ferrum because I had more research opportunities as an underclassman. I was also attracted to playing Division 3 sports.

At Ferrum, the professors are really highly educated. They know whether you are in class, and they really care! Ferrum's Chemistry and Criminal Justice programs are on target for me to reach my career goals. My professors have real-world experience in both the career and college setting. They really can steer a student in the right direction, which is very helpful and a great perk of a smaller school.

On campus, I am a tennis player. This is my main activity, but I am also the Secretary of the Lions Branch Club, a member of the Art Club, and a member of the Boone Honors Program. Division 3 sports allow former high school athletes to compete at a higher level without the extreme stress and pressure of Division 1 and 2. I love playing tennis here! Balance is the key to college, but I have dived in and have found success.

Oh My! Where Do I Begin??

by Anneleisse A., Panther Blogger

Greetings, Ferrum!  It's been awhile since I last blogged and I have much catching up to do!  This year has been full of exciting events so far. Last semester was a busy one because of classes and swimming.

Although I was so busy with schoolwork and swimming, I got to travel to Mexico during my Thanksgiving break for a life-changing experience!  I decided to do something a bit different from my usual travels back home to Colorado; instead, I flew to Cancun, Mexico, where I was able to participate in my first triathlon ever!  The event took place in the Riviera Maya at a park that is one of the 13 natural wonders of Mexico:  Xel-Ha.  It may have been one of the hardest things I have ever done, and at the same time, one of the best experiences ever. The category that I participated in was for Woman Beginners and consisted of 52 participants who had to complete a total of 400-meters swimming, 10k cycling, and 2.5k running.

 

Swimming was the easiest for me just because I'm on the Ferrum swim team, but the rest was more complicated than I thought. I probably should have practiced running and cycling before doing this triathlon, but thankfully, I was able to achieve a 2nd place!  Honestly, I must say I felt pretty accomplished, and I truly recommend anyone to try out this amazing sport if you get the chance. Because I have family down in Cancun, it was exciting to have them there as my cheerleaders. Plus, I got to meet some pretty talented triathletes, one of whom was a girl named Charlotte Cassarrubias who recently competed at Worlds in Auckland, New Zealand. I also met a guy named Rodrigo Ruiz, who is one of the best triathletes in Mexico. Both Charlotte and Rodrigo are great people and truly inspirational!  I'm looking forward to doing a "Sprint" triathlon in six months where I will do a 750-meter swim, 20k bike ride, and a 5k run.

Coming back to school after being on break is always bittersweet, but I must admit that I was pretty excited that I was going to be able to attend my first Snowball this year. This year's theme was "Everything is better in the dark," and boy, it was fun!  I got to meet many people and take time-off from studying and preparing for finals. It was great to see everyone dress up for the night and dance with friends. I am definitely looking forward to next year's dance. If you didn't attend this year, I truly do recommend making an appearance even if you don't want to stay for the whole night. Ferrum has transportation to and from the event, plus it's so much fun you won't ever notice if you don't have a date.

This semester, I am looking forward to blogging again and trying to keep ya'll up-to-date. So far, we are only two week into the Spring semester, but it's looking good so far. As a member of the Ferrum swim team, we are close to the end of our season. We had a meet on Friday in Greensboro against Greensboro College and Sweet Briar where we took third place. With only two meets left on our schedule, we are all working hard to have a strong finish against Guilford College this weekend and against VMI/Washington and Lee on the 26th. Wish us luck!


P.S. - Laurel, Jess, and Lauren -- if you read this, I love you guys, and let's finish this season strong! And Morgan, good job this season and good luck in softball!

Thank you, and I look forward to next time!
- Anneleisse

Greetings from Ferrum College Student, Chang!

by Chang S., Panther Blogger

Hi, my name is Chang.  I am an international student at Ferrum College, and I am from China. I am currently a sophomore in my second semester.

I made the decision to study here at Ferrum mainly because one of my friends who graduated from here recommended Ferrum to me, and I consider it a great opportunity to study in the United States.  As some might have recognized, Ferrum is a comparatively small-sized and remote school. So honestly, few big events truly occur from time to time, taking into account that there are less than 2,000 students on campus. However, these are the facts that I well understood before I came here, and they still did not affect my decision.

There are actually a number of good things about being in a small and remote school. In the first place, people know each other better than bigger schools -- which is a good thing because this means we can more easily build up communities of friends. Moreover, in a relatively remote area, the whole environment is a lot quieter so that we can get more focused on our work. Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ferrum is a splendid spot for natural scenery. It is more than enjoyable to appreciate the beauty of nature!

On the other hand, there are still plenty of activities that you are able to attend. Personally, I believe some of the activities that I have been involved in have made a big difference to me. In terms of work and studying, I have been a PAL tutor for two semesters, helping students with math problems. I also became an RA this semester -- still a newbie, yet gradually getting familiar with this job. Ferrum Outdoors has other fun events and trips that I have experienced. I still remembered last year when we went skiing at Wintergreen -- it was awesome! Apart from these, I also enjoy some individual activities which Ferrum provides me the opportunity to have access to. For instance, during my free time, I can teach myself to play the piano using the rehearsal rooms in the Grousbeck Music Center. And the even more fantastic thing I enjoy is doing celestial observations on starry nights with my astronomical telescope!

I think Ferrum has given me a brand new experience which I have never had before. As a matter of fact, it is the first time I have been in a foreign country. It is interesting and also significant to understand cultural differences so that we can build up friendly relationships and get more involved in the community. Folks at Ferrum are really kind to me, and they have been teaching me lots of meaningful things, either in class or out of class. The economic classes and business classes have greatly enhanced my perspectives toward day-to-day issues. Jobs help me to better communicate and interact with people, and they let me know what responsibility means. Critical thinking has taught me to make better decisions.

This is just an overall view about me. I'll be telling you guys some more fun stuff about my experiences at Ferrum. Thanks!