William McNamara ’13, a political science major, had two internships while in Bhutan in fall 2011. A member of Wheaton’s men’s lacrosse team, he taught the sport at the Jigme Losel Primary School, and worked with children who have physical and mental disabilities at the Draktsho school. “Sharing the game I love with the Bhutanese children was so much fun,” he says. “And getting to know the kids at Draktsho and spending time with them really made me happy. I also got to emcee a Special Olympics event—an experience I will never forget.”
Right turns
Winter 2013 by
Liberal arts colleges navigate tough terrain
Ten seconds.
Ten.
That’s about all the time that a college admission representative likely has to influence a potential student at a high school college fair, estimates Gail Berson, Wheaton’s vice president of enrollment and marketing, who has been in the field for 35 years.
“Students and parents stroll through crowded high school gyms or convention centers overwhelmed by choice and choked by the thought of what college costs,” she says. “In a tight economy, parents are increasingly concerned about what we call ‘the value proposition.’ It’s incumbent upon us to make the case clearly and convincingly that a liberal arts education is the best preparation for life, regardless of career choice.”
Berson and her team repeatedly have made the case so convincingly that this academic year Wheaton welcomed its largest first-year class in the college’s history. Not only are the 480 students in the Class of 2016 a testament to the success of the college’s intensified push to attract students in a highly competitive market, but also a vote of confidence that the liberal arts are still valued, says President Ronald A. Crutcher. [Read more...]
Getting his feet wet
Summer 2012 by
Swimmer headed into the classroom to Teach For America
Until he was in fourth grade, Devon Best ’12, a Wheaton Athletic Mentor, says he was considered the problem child in the classroom. He wouldn’t turn in assignments, and, worse than that, “I just didn’t care,” he recalls.
But that all changed with one teacher—Ms. Booth.
“After I forgot my first homework assignment, she sat me down and negotiated a ‘plan’ with me. If I forgot another assignment, I would stay after school to complete it. If I handed in five assignments in a row, I would be off the plan, but if I forgot another one I was back on it. About halfway through the year I realized I was never off the plan, and I confronted her. All she said was, ‘Exactly, welcome to life!’… She really taught me the value of learning and how success and hard work are one and the same. She helped make me the dedicated student I am today.”
Keeping the peace–one country at a time
Summer 2012 by
If she had a uniform—maybe something in a nice Army green or navy—Meg Riggs ’97, a foreign service officer, might have an easier time explaining her job.
She works for the U.S. Department of State helping to build important relationships that promote peace, but she is the first to admit that educating friends and family at home about what she does is sometimes the hardest job.
”I, like my family and friends, share in the pride and appreciation for the members of our community in the military, who ‘serve’ the country in uniform. Unfortunately, that same pride doesn’t always extend to the civilians serving the country overseas,” she says.
