RELEASED: May 12, 2005

DANVILLE, KY—With less than two weeks left in their Centre College experience, members of the class of 2005 are looking back on the last four years. Whether they are headed to exciting first jobs, off to graduate school or to the other side of the world, soon-to-be alumni feel they wouldn't be who they are today without their extraordinary Centre experiences.

Kristen Harris from London, Ky., a history major sums up her Centre years. "It was all amazing, but I loved the classes and higher learning. Working with the faculty and staff on a personal level encouraged the establishment of relationships, living across the hall from your best friends, traveling to France with a small group that went beyond tourism, Honors Convocation—in short, everything."

Stacey Hohl, a history major from Louisville, relished the activities after class. "The best parts were the local community events in Danville, the free Norton Center performances, some of the annual parties and Student Activities Council events, and getting to know the faculty and staff on a personal basis."

Nathan Fell, an economics major from Oak Hill, W. Va., savored his time on the gridiron with the Colonel football team. "There's no better thing than to be playing football on Saturdays, and Centre was one of the few schools that gave me the opportunity to play. The games, friends and coaches have been the things that I anticipated and longed for every summer that I was away."

Government major Dawn Estes from Owensboro, Ky., got more than she bargained for when she studied abroad in England. "It was on the London trip that I met my future husband, whom I had, amazingly, never met on campus before we arrived in England. Not only did the trip help me understand the world more and experience a different set of cultures on my travels, but it changed my personal life by introducing me to Ryan Steed, my fiancé."

Sara Luna, a government major from Franklin, Tenn., also treasured her time overseas. "Studying abroad was definitely the best thing I did while I was at Centre. I was terrified to go that far away from my family and friends for three months, but now I would go again if they'd let me. It gave me a new independence and allowed me to get to know some of my best friends from Centre."

Chris Bennett, a psychobiology major from Louisville, says he enjoyed the small things. "The smiles and hellos you receive on the way to class, true sincerity from everyone when times get tough, the ability to be stretched to your limits and manage to live through it, having a 'home away from home,' and of course, running the flame! Centre offers many of the intangibles that you frequently hear about and hope to find in a college."

Lexington senior Ella Candace Slone, an English major, values the skills and the friendships she has acquired during the last four years. "The thing I appreciate most about being at Centre is that it gave me the skills to realize potential in myself. I never thought I would be so secure in my own skin, so confident and easy. The people that I'm surrounded by really deserve all the credit though. My best friends, not just students but teachers too, are the ones that made that change in me possible. They're by far the best part of my Centre experience."

Carin Brumback, a Spanish major from Versailles, Ky., and Ben U'Sellis, a philosophy major from Louisville, also found the long-lasting relationships they have formed to be the best part of their time on campus.

"I've met an array of people abroad as well as here at home," Brumback says. "I love it when a friend drops by my room and we end up hanging out for hours."

U'Sellis says he's met some of his best friends in most unusual ways. "Centre is a quirky little place," U'Sellis says. "There are people on this campus that I only met because I sang 80's songs into one end of a broom until 5 in the morning with them, or maybe we were assigned to work on a project and ended up hanging out all night, talking and laughing and getting very little accomplished. My favorite thing about Centre is that incredible, long-lasting friendships can be formed in these crazy, quirky times."

For some seniors though, the best is right around the corner.

Andrea Drake, a psychology major of Campton, Ky., says, "The best part of my Centre experience hasn't yet occurred. The sense of accomplishment that I'll feel on graduation day will greatly surpass all others."

This is the first in a series of senior reflections. Find out how Centre has changed other lives in the class of 2005 next week.

- end -

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.

Back to News and Events Home Page