One student’s journey
In anticipation of D&E’s presidential inauguration on March 30, an essay contest was sponsored for college seniors. Consistent with the inauguration theme, students were asked to reflect on their journey at Davis & Elkins College. Lisa and I had the privilege of selecting the top three finishers.
Below is the essay of first-place winner, Sierra Carney. She is an English and political science double major from Charleston. As a result of the transformative experience of the years of her life’s journey spent at D&E, her future is bright and her impact upon society is assured. The following are Sierra’s words:
“Sitting in the lobby of Halliehurst, I knew Davis & Elkins College was my college. Before the tour had even begun, I turned to my mom and said, ‘This is where I am going.’ She was skeptical, considering we had yet to see the campus, meet any faculty, or discuss any of the logistics, but I knew. The tour only confirmed (and convinced my mom) of what I already felt: Davis & Elkins College would be the catalyst for my future.
“Growing up in a small, West Virginian town meant that the same people I graduated high school with were also the same faces I had seen in pre-school. We all knew each other; we probably knew too much about each other, quite frankly. The high school halls we walked through were the same halls many of our parents and grandparents walked through. For many of us, our lives seemed planned out before we had even entered the world. This wasn’t negative, though; it’s just how things were.
“None of these comforting, familiar facets were around me on my first day at Davis & Elkins. My security blanket was no longer around me; the norms that I had been accustomed to, the storyline of my life that I thought had to be written for me, the predetermined future I thought was inevitable, all of that was gone. These new faces didn’t know me (or my parents or grandparents like everyone at home did) – this was a new, terrifying, fresh start.
“Had I followed my friends to any of the colleges they chose, I would not be who I am today, as cliche as that sounds. For example, I would not be part of an award-winning debate team (I wouldn’t even have the courage to speak in front of people). I would not have been accepted and invited to speak at undergraduate conferences throughout the state and in other states. I would not have stepped foot in Cuba before President Obama. I would not have worked as a research assistant for two professors, one for a dissertation and one for a prestigious literary journal. And, I would not have been shaped into the confident and motivated student that I am today.
“I hardly remember the timid high school student that first toured campus four years ago — the one that wanted more, but was afraid to demand it. With the support and encouragement of professors and faculty at Davis & Elkins College, she is gone and here stands this Sierra — the one ready to conquer her future.”
The journey continues. …
Chris A. Wood is president of Davis & Elkins College.