Hometown: Libertyville (Chicago), IL
Major: Political Science and Business
Academic interests/passions: Political Philosophy, Accounting, Law, and Spanish
Extracurricular activities: Editor-in-Chief of the Sou’Wester, Medical Interpreter volunteer (for Spanish) at Compassion Neighborhood Clinic, Memphis Consulting Group intern, and waitress at Bangkok Alley
Tell the story of how you got to Rhodes College.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I heard about a summer writing program at Rhodes simply by chance. My mother, a former teacher, always encouraged academic activities and was thrilled at my interest in the program. I attended that summer and took poetry classes (although I can say with confidence that I have only written two halfway-decent poems in my life), and fell in love with the breathtaking campus.
How have you changed since beginning your studies at Rhodes College?
Although I had a strong passion for journalism in high school, I knew early on that I needed the liberal arts environment that Rhodes provided in order to thrive. With renowned newspapers going bankrupt in record numbers, I realized that I needed to explore other areas of study to both develop a specialty area for journalism and to find an alternate career path that I was passionate about in case journalism didn’t work out. Choosing a liberal arts school was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
I’ve gone through a few phases during my time at Rhodes. At first, I was incredibly interested in international studies and political science. I became worried that I wouldn’t be able to find a career in those areas and thought that my passion for helping my patients at the clinic meant that a career as a doctor would be suitable for me. I took Chemistry 111 and had an incredibly difficult time in it despite my professor’s outstanding help. I realized that I shouldn’t force a career and went back to my political science track.
My passion for political philosophy and ethics led me to take Business Ethics. The course helped me to realize that someone with my background in political science had the capacity to excel in business and could oversee activities and understand regulations in a way that many cannot. I took Financial Accounting that summer and fell in love with accounting. My love of both political science and business left me torn between two disciplines, but my decision to double major has allowed me to thoroughly understand both areas and to develop my own connections between the two.
How did you originally get involved with the Sou’Wester?
Because of my strong involvement in my high school newspaper and the formative influence that that paper’s advisor had on me, I knew that I absolutely needed to be part of my college newspaper. A few months before I came to Rhodes, I contacted the editor-in-chief at the time and told her about my interest in joining her staff. I was chosen as executive assistant (an honorable position for a freshman). The layout editor at the time went abroad that spring, and I quickly jumped the ranks and became layout editor due to my strong high school background in editing and with our design programs.
What, if any, changes will you be implementing this coming year? Is there anything about which you are particularly excited?
When Jasmine became editor last year, we began a process of revamping the Sou’Wester. I plan to continue those efforts and to further reinvent the newspaper as a reliable and exciting way for students to communicate with one another and with the outside community. We switched to 12-page issues (from eight) to allow for more entertaining and creative sections, which I am incredibly excited about. I am very grateful for the Allocation Committee’s decision to fund three full-color issues this fall. Printing in color epitomizes my goals for the Sou’Wester; I hope to make it into a more vibrant news source with a larger readership base.
Where do you see yourself in five years? How do you think your experience as editor will help you in these pursuits?
In five years, I hope to either have a successful corporate accounting or consulting career or to be pursuing a JD/MBA so that I may become a corporate attorney specializing in accounting fraud and insider trading. I hope to travel often, as my experience traveling to Cuenca, Ecuador, was life-changing (I flirted with the idea of staying there permanently). I also know that I can never completely give up my passion for journalism and plan to do some freelance work for fun. My experience as editor-in-chief of the Sou’Wester will undoubtedly aid me in these pursuits. I truly believe that effective communication skills are essential to nearly every career and are vital in distinguishing oneself.