Good Evening,
   My name is Kaitlin Peterson and this semester I’m finishing up my junior year as an English major and History minor. Ever since coming here to Ferrum I’ve been asked the same question over and over, why did I come from New Jersey to Ferrum? Usually all I have to say is that I grew up in North Carolina, but sometimes I have to give the full reason and it has always been the same- the atmosphere and size. I simply fell in love with the tight knit campus and its small student body. I could tell only after a few minutes on campus that Ferrum would be a home away from home, that even though I would be leaving family and friends behind- that I would meet people who would become just as important. I could also tell that I wouldn’t simply be a number. And I haven’t been. Everyone I have met, from faculty to staff has shown an interest not only in my success here at Ferrum, but in life as well. My professors, especially, have given me the opportunity to grow and discover my own path. My English professors, for example have given me the confidence to cultivate my love of writing from a hobby into a career.

    Ferrum has not only given me the opportunity to learn from a group of great professors, but it has also given me a chance to fulfill a life long dream-to live and study abroad. Last fall I was able to travel to the UK where I studied at the prestigious Imperial College of London. It was an exciting experience to live and learn where so many of the greatest minds in the western world lived and learned themselves. But London was simply the first page in my adventures last fall, it was a jumping off point to other parts of Europe that I had only dreamed of visiting, places such as Venice, Dublin, and Rome. I even got the chance to attend Vespers with the Pope. My London experience was one that I will treasure for the rest of my life, and I’m positive that I’ll be the Grandmother at Thanksgiving that nobody wants to sit next to because they’ve all heard The Venice story a hundred times.

    My time at Ferrum College has been filled with growth, scholarship, friendship, and fun. It has given me the confidence and courage to put myself out into the world, to step out of my comfort zone, to explore new things, to challenge myself, and to enjoy life. Looking back I wouldn’t change a thing about my college experience thus far. And even though I will be graduating next May, and hopefully moving onto the Creative Writing graduate program at Hollins University, I will be taking with me all the knowledge, memories, and experiences that Ferrum has gifted me with and treasure them always.