Giving back to the community that has supported me throughout college stands as my most rewarding experience. Since August 2022, I have represented the Student Calling Program as a student development officer through Federal Work Study, building meaningful connections with alumni and parents. I share campus experiences, provide updates on university news and events, and invite continued support of the Annual Fund. This past August, I was promoted to student development monitor, where I now guide 5-10 fellow officers each shift—listening to their donor conversations, evaluating performance and providing personalized feedback. I have also led skill-building workshops to strengthen our team's effectiveness.

A particularly meaningful moment came through an alumni connection. An alumna from the Class of 1990 wrote a letter of recommendation for my college application. This past summer, that same person—now co-founder of a regenerative agriculture and sustainable finance company—offered me an internship. I will continue working on remote projects with her company this fall. This relationship exemplifies the enduring power of alumni networks.

As an Arts Merit Scholar in dance, I have balanced a lifelong passion with my double major and minor. Beyond building an academic foundation, I have performed in mainstage concerts and choreographers' showcases, collaborated with faculty and professional guest artists, served as a departmental ambassador at open houses, and participated in community outreach. The Juliet Shield-Taylor Undergraduate Theatre Summer Research Grant supported my participation in Bates Dance Festival during summer 2023, where I expanded my technique and connected with an international dance community before bringing those learnings back to campus.

My greatest learning experience came during spring 2023, when I faced a debilitating mental health challenge that affected both my personal life and academics. With support from friends, professors and our student health team, I turned my life around and qualified for the dean's list. This experience taught me the value of community and the importance of prioritizing my well-being.

Looking ahead, I hope to intern abroad to gain exposure for a global career in law, child advocacy, psychology or social work. I also plan to pursue graduate school within five years of graduation to deepen my academic pursuits.

Thank you for the funding I have received from your scholarship. I am currently studying abroad in Scandinavia—a lifetime dream and the same program my mother attended in 1984.

As a sociology and philosophy double major with a dance minor, I am on track to graduate in spring 2025. Right now, I'm immersed in Copenhagen, Denmark, taking five experiential courses: Holocaust and Genocide (including study tours in Northern Germany and Poland), History of Emotion and Mental Health, Urban Ecology, Anthropology of Food, and Danish Language and Culture. I share an apartment with students from universities across the United States, connect regularly with a Danish host, take dance classes, explore Europe, and navigate the challenges of living abroad.

I look forward to sharing these experiences with my advisors, professors, friends, co-workers and the broader campus community upon my return—and to publishing an article encouraging others to study abroad.

I also hope we might connect or even meet in the future. Thank you again for making my education possible.