History Major
I chose Heidelberg because of the people. Everyone I spoke to during my visits was very welcoming and made clear that success here is derived from building relationships with peers and professors. That is what I was looking for.
I majored in History because I love learning and writing about the human experience.
A major challenge I encountered while at Heidelberg was balancing commitments. I'm still not very good at it, to be honest, but I am certainly better than I was four years ago. I handled it by learning how to prioritize and make difficult decisions about which experiences are most contributive to my future, and cutting out those that are not.
The best opportunity I discovered at Heidelberg was writing for The Kilikilik. My interests and ambitions changed through the years writing for The Kil, but it was nice because I was able to shift whatever I was writing about to reflect my interests at that time. It's a great opportunity to write about precisely what it is you are passionate about -- there's a lot of flexibility in that regard.
Outside of the classroom, I was involved in Men's Golf, The Kil, Sigma Tau Nu, Honors Program Committee and a Zeta Ember.
The thing I'm most proud of about My Heidelberg accomplishments is I graduated in four years, with great academic standing, even after changing my major in my sophomore year.
One faculty or staff mentor or advisor who impacted my ‘Berg experience: I'm going to cheat and mention two because the reasoning behind them is shared. Dr. David Hogan and Dr. Marc O'Reilly both helped workshop and instill a lot of confidence in my research, writing, and analytical skills, especially at a time in which I wasn't sure what I was best fit to pursue. Whether or not my future career is adjacent to history or political science, I will certainly be building on a good foundation.
My advice to incoming freshmen would be to explore different courses you are interested in. It is an unreasonable expectation for 18/19-year-olds to know what they want to do in their career, so don't be afraid if it changes. It will continue to change.
My favorite Heidelberg memory is any memory shared with the golf team.
My plans after graduation are perpetually changing. What is guaranteed is that I'll be back to Heidelberg next year to complete my MBA.