BY EMMA PRESBERG – STAFF WRITER
On May 20th, at 3:00pm, approximately 333 students will walk across the stage and receive their diploma. 79 seniors will complete majors in the Division I (humanities) field while 157 will complete Division II (social studies) majors. To top it off, 144 seniors will graduate with a major in a Division III (math and sciences) field and 18 will complete cross-divisional majors (Environmental Studies or Self-Designed). 64 of these students will have completed double majors.
With a variety of majors, the opportunities for this senior class are endless. Here are some spotlights of seniors who are going down different paths.
Audrey Moreng:
Major: International Studies
Minor: Environmental Studies:
Future Plans: After graduating, Moreng has fifteen days to prepare to leave for Malawi as a member of the Peace Corps. Given just three days to decide whether or not she was going to accept the offer, Moreng committed. “This was a difficult decision,” said Moreng. “With the help and advice from family and friends I decided this was the right step for me.” Moreng’s time at Centre helped prepare her for this opportunity, giving her the chance to take classes that interested her and to study abroad. These opportunities helped her become a qualified applicant for the Peace Corps and she applied to participate within the continent of Africa. The Peace Corps placed her in Malawi where she will be working in the environmental sector.
Advice to Rising Seniors: “My best advice for rising seniors is to enjoy the remaining time they have at Centre. Take advantage of these last months with your friends!”
Caroline Pelligrino:
Major: Biology
Future Plans: Pelligrino will begin a two-year pediatric nurse practitioner program at Vanderbilt where she will then follow that up with a doctorate in nursing practice. Her time at Centre has been influential in her choices of where she will go. “Centre connected me with the Center for Courageous Kids,” said Pelligrino, “which is a nonprofit summer camp for children with chronic and debilitating illnesses. My work with CCK over three summers solidified my passion for working with ill children and greatly helped me to decide my career path.”
Advice to Upcoming Seniors: “Trust the fact that all of the hard work and challenges Centre puts us through pays off. I never imagined that I would be perusing my masters and then doctorate at Vanderbilt and without Centre I don’t know if it would have been possible. The Dean of the nursing school sat down with Centre students and told us that because of our rigorous education our applications are awarded bonus points- that’s how much the university values a Centre education. Working hard is exhausting and hard, but I would tell seniors to hang in there and savor every minute of the opportunities and experiences here.”
Anna McCauley:
Major: Environmental Studies
Future Plans: McCauley will be packing her bags for Tuscany, where she will spend three months at Spannochia, a farm and historic site that serves as an educational center. She will be one of seven interns there learning about permaculture farming techniques and traditional Italian methods of raising heritage breeds, olive groves, and vineyard. McCauley will then return to Nonesuch, Kentucky where she will begin farming the family farm with her dad and grandmother. “I have always had a close tie to my family and my small hometown community,” said McCauley. “But it wasn’t until I was exposed to ideas about local food and sustainable communities as an Environmental Studies major that I really saw going home to the farm as a viable ‘career path’. Now it seems like the most natural thing in the world to go home and do what I can to enrich the community and revitalize the farm through sustainable agriculture.” McCauley will miss the close friendships she has made with both peers and professors but the people she has aligned herself with and the studies she has undergone have helped shape where she is going.
Advice to Upcoming Seniors: “Take the last year to pour yourself into the people, classes, and projects that you care about most. The best way to combat senior-itis (because you WILL feel it) is to choose to dedicate your time to the things that you’re truly passionate about. Take this last year to really appreciate what a unique time in your life this is.”
Falon McGinty:
Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Spanish
Future Plans: After graduation, McGinty is going to the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs where she plans on getting her MPA. McGinty decided to go straight to graduate school so that she can gain more experience and become more qualified before looking for a job. The decision was easy for McGinty, “I knew I wanted a master’s degree. It’s a good program so I consider myself lucky to get in. In that sense, it was easy to commit.” She will miss the community of Centre College and getting to hang out with likeminded individuals who are passionate about similar issues and help inspire her.
Advice to Upcoming Seniors: “Have fun and go at your own pace. Don’t let anyone tell you how to do school or friends or anything. Focus on whatever is the most important to you.
Claire Waldman:
Major: Biology
Future Plans: Waldman is planning on heading home after graduation. After a gap year at home, Waldman will apply to dental school. “I am really close with my parents so I am excited to spend time with them,” said Waldman. “There are no dental schools in St. Louis so it will be nice to spend the year with them before going to school again.” Initially concerned about taking a gap year, Waldman decided it was the right thing to do and it worked best to take a break before getting back into school.
Advice to Upcoming Seniors: “Take time for your friends and things that matter to you at Centre. Academics are important but the time you spend with your friends, the relationships you build and memories you make are so much more impactful on your life and important to who you are as a person. Also remember that the average person changes careers 5-7 times in their life so know that right after graduation is a great time to just try things out and find what you are passionate about- even if it is not what you end up doing it as career.”