A Humbling Experience Inspires Passion for Learning

Smith but ultimately succeeded with flying colors

I am the first and only member of my family to go to college. I had been somewhat of a star in my Massachusetts high school of 600-plus students, but once I started classes at Smith, I realized I was woefully unprepared (except for math). I received a D+ on my very first German assignment. 

I came from a relatively poor family and had never met or been associated with girls from wealth or with private school educations. Within a few months, however, I had made lifelong friends and had figured out how to study to meet the demands of this new high-level education. The whole world opened up to me. I was always excited when the course catalog came out and I could choose from so many exciting and interesting classes. I could never take as many as I wanted. 

Being at Smith instilled in me a lifetime of interest in almost any subject. And it was wonderful to find other women who liked math and science as much as I did. I had a wonderful math professor, David Cohen, who inspired and nurtured me, and we became good friends. Smith completely changed my life. I still love the friends I made there, and I still love to learn.