“[Participating] in the Leadership Academy for athletes was super motivational and a good learning experience. [I learned] leadership skills, qualities, and strategies. I think all of those have helped me develop as a really good leader, and will help me in the real world as well. My experiences have shaped me to be more confident and more mature. I’m from a really small town in Massachusetts, so coming here was a big deal. I was six hours away from my family, and that was a transition in itself. Now I feel less dependent on [my parents]. I studied abroad sophomore year. I didn’t even go with anyone that I knew. I just went, and I did my thing. I was in a foreign country and very far away from my family and kind of had to fend for myself. Those life skills have made me grow.”

Schell found work as a strategic alliance dealer payment associate at MFS Investment Management in Boston.

MONICA CHEN

HOMETOWN: Carlisle, Massachusetts
MAJOR: Writing 
ACTIVITIES: MLK Scholar, President of IC China Care Club, Asian American Alliance, Studied Abroad in Dublin, Ireland, Writing Center Tutor

“I’ve always been the type of person who tries to predict everything that was going to happen—so I have a five-year plan. I had that with college: ‘These are the classes I’m going to take; this is the major I’m going to have.’ But I enjoyed a lot of classes that I didn’t think I was going to take. I met a lot of people I didn’t expect to meet. I did a lot of research that I didn’t think I was going to do. Some of the most incredible experiences I’ve had throughout college have been the ones that I didn’t think were going to happen.”

Chen is now working in marketing and communications at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

MAX DENNING

HOMETOWN: Portland, Oregon
MAJOR: Journalism
ACTIVITIES: The Ithacan, Park Scholar, Feminists United

“The Ithacan provided me with a lot of my structure. That includes a friend group, a social setting to thrive in, a workplace to do good work in, and an office that allowed me to get work done and socialize with my peers and feel like I was being productive in. It’s also a place that I think I did some of my best work and some of the work that I’m most proud of. During fall 2015 when there were protests on campus, I was assistant news editor. That was a time that really taught me: If you want to be a journalist, you need to do it right. You need to work really hard at it. And I think that semester taught me how to be a better journalist and writer and also how to be a better student at Ithaca College.”

Denning now works as a reporter for The Observer in La Grande, Oregon.

SAMANTHA BROWN

HOMETOWN: Camden, New York
MAJOR: Athletic Training
ACTIVITIES: Figure Skating Club, Ithaca Athletic Training Students’ Association, Honors Residential Learning Community

“My most challenging experience here was in the fall of my junior year. I was working with the football team as one of their student athletic trainers. It was my first time working with a team every day of the week. There were 120 student-athletes, and they all needed something. It was a real struggle. I actually cried a couple times on the field, and I genuinely thought I was going to change my major and not be an athletic trainer because I couldn’t handle the pressure of doing it every day at that level. But I think I’ve just become more resilient in facing changes that come into my life. I’ve been forced to deal with some very big changes, and learning how to cope with that has made me a much stronger person overall.” 

Brown is a licensed athletic trainer at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire for women’s basketball, swimming
and diving, and outdoor track and field.

MORGAN ATKINS

HOMETOWN: Stillwater, Oklahoma
MAJOR: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Communication Management and Design)
ACTIVITIES: Leadership Scholar, Active Minds, Student Leadership Institute, Various Ensembles including the Ithaca College Sinfonietta and Concert Band

“I was much shyer as a freshman. I didn’t have any confidence in my abilities, and I think that’s a little bit different now. If I were to go into a situation where I didn’t know anything, I’d still be comfortable with myself and accept the challenge and tell myself, ‘I can do this.’ I’ve had a lot of support from my professors. Without their support and encouragement, I probably would not be as confident as I am. But also having peer support and a sense of engagement is really encouraging, as well.”

Atkins moved to Brooklyn this fall and has been grateful for the support of her IC friends.

MONIKA HUOT

HOMETOWN: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
MAJOR: Applied Economics
ACTIVITIES: American Marketing Association, International Club of Ithaca College, Student Leadership Institute, IC Progressives, Certified
IT Technician

“When I was a freshman, I was always nervous because I didn’t know what I was going to come across, who I was going to meet, or what kind of friends I was going to make. And I feel like now as a senior, I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with that, and I think I’m able to express myself a lot more, especially in the classroom. When you’re a new student, it’s hard to speak up. But now I think I’m more vocal, and I think that’s a good change. My advice to first-year students is to always be open to new opportunities and to meeting new people because you never know who you’re going to meet and what kind of opportunities you will get just from being open.”

Huot is getting a master's degree in economics from the University of Manchester in England.

 

Tags: Features, ICView 2018/2, Multimedia, Seniors

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