Staff Writer
Last week, Nov.
11-14, was College Awareness Week. Free applications were available on CFNC, teachers
wore spirit wear from the schools they attended, and Mr. Wight asked trivia questions
on the announcements. In collaboration with this event, we asked five teachers about
their college experiences.
Jeff Derda - University
of Pittsburgh
“I was originally an
undergraduate in biology and then I actually got a dual degree in biology, and
ecology and evolution. That is simply the University of Pittsburgh’s way of
saying environmental science.”
- Did You Like College: “I loved every minute of it. I ended up going to graduate school there, as well. I got my Master’s Degree from the same place. I met my wife there and I really enjoyed it.”
- Advice to Seniors Going to College: “Just take with you the work ethic and value that you’ve used throughout high school to get into college. If you’ve successfully gotten into college, you must've worked hard enough to be deserving so just keep up with that. The other big one is survive the first semester. You're going to have a ton of freedom. There’s a ton of fun things to do in college. Do some of them, but limit your experiences to be there for four years, not just one semester. A lot of people show up for one semester and don’t make it back. Work hard, stick with it, and do your best.”
- The Craziest Thing You Did in College: “I would probably say playing rugby and all the things that go along with playing rugby. I wanted to do something athletic.”
Kim Sudkamp - East Carolina University
“I majored in art
education and ceramics- two different degrees. I also got a minor in
psychology, art history, and textiles. I did a lot.”
- Why Did You Go There? “I picked ECU because the other art schools that were out of state were extremely expensive and ECU had a wonderful art program and it was in state so I could afford it.”
- Advice to Seniors Going to College: “Get one of those sheets that have all the different classes that you need for your major and keep track of it. Talk to your professors even though it’s terrifying if you're in a class of one hundred people. It’s okay. You should talk to them and they're usually really helpful.”
- The Craziest Thing You Did in College: “Everyone in the art department one day decided that we were going to play tag with rollerblades inside the art building because it’s all cement and smooth and there’s ramps too. It’s a giant building. Imagine one hundred people in the building with rollerblades, going down these ramps- and it feels like one hundred miles per hour- trying to tag people. Then, my professor was at the bottom and didn't know this was going to happen. He got trampled by half the class.”
Megan Fackler-Bretz - University of Pittsburgh
“English literature and women’s studies. I went and did my graduate work there [University of Pittsburgh] too, to become a teacher.”
- Why Did You Go There? “It’s the only college I applied to. My parents said I had to go in state and it had to be a public school and I wanted to go in the city. So, my choices were Temple or Pitt. My dad said I couldn't go to Temple. So, there you go.”
- Did You Like College: “I loved it; I wish I could go back. I liked that it was in the city. I purposely chose a college where I knew nobody and that was great because I was not a huge fan of high school, ironically. It was really nice to go to a school where I didn't know anybody.”
- Advice to Seniors Going to College: “My first piece of advice would be to take advantage of the study abroad opportunities and keep your mind open. Take things that you're really interested in because you might discover something that you didn’t even know existed.”
- The Craziest Thing You Did in College: “I did lots of crazy things. I did get a tattoo my junior year and that was when people didn’t have tattoos as much as they do now. I still remember the phone call home to my mom. She was so angry, but then after I graduated from the college she said, ‘Well if the worst thing you ever do is smoke and get a tattoo then I’ve done my job.’”
Chris Stapleton – N.C. State and UNC Chapel Hill
“I went to N.C. State
for undergraduate and I went to UNC Chapel Hill for graduate school.
I started out at N.C.
State as a marine geology major, and then I was undeclared, and then I was a
psychology major, and then I was an English major, and I graduated with degrees
in English and psychology.”
- N.C. State or UNC? “It’s apples and oranges for me. I was eighteen when I started at State and twenty-six when I started at UNC. I was a really dumb kid when I was at State and I was sort of an adult when I started at UNC, so probably UNC was a more important experience professionally because it’s how I became qualified to teach. But, N.C. State was four years of me being really just an idiot and that’s fun. Idiots have the most fun.”
- Advice to Seniors Going to College: “There’s no reason you shouldn't get straight A’s. You just have to work hard. I say that as someone who did not get straight A’s. Definitely, study abroad. Definitely, do it for a year and definitely take classes that might be a little outside your comfort zone because they end up being the most important.”
- The Craziest Thing You Did in College: “I went to college for a year in Ireland all by myself. I flew there not having any place to live and just knowing that I was eligible to enroll in this school in Galway, Ireland. It was just crazy. I got there and after twenty-four hours I was able to kind of figure out that I could live in a place, but I was homeless for a while in Ireland. That was exciting and it was stupid.”
Randy Moncelle – Illinois
State University, Bradley University, University of South Carolina, and Hebrew
University in Jerusalem
“I went to
Illinois State University. I also went to Bradley University and got my Master’s.
I attended the University of South Carolina. I attended Hebrew University in Jerusalem
in the summer of 1969. I had a ball in Israel. I majored in political science
and I majored in history. I have a double major and then I took courses in
education to be a teacher.
- Advice to Seniors Going to College: “Take time to experience all the aspects of college. Don’t just get caught up in book learning. There’s a lot to learn from the experience itself. Strive hard to do well in academics but look and see what it is you really feel your passion is. Try some things. Sample some things. It’s an opportunity to expand your mind. Going to college and universities shouldn’t be just to get a job. It should be to improve you.”
- The Craziest Thing You Did in College: “In 1970, I was part of a student protest group and we stormed the president’s office and we occupied the president's office after the Kent State.”
