Sarah Daugherty '00
Regional Director of Admission
630-717-6690
309-457-2131
IM:  mcrep333
sdaugherty@monm.edu

Hometown:  Morris, Illinois

Education:  B.A., Elementary Education, Monmouth College, 2000; M.A., Human Service Administration, Bradley University, 2004.

Territory:  Illinois counties of Lake, McHenry, Boone, DeKalb, Kane, and DuPage and the state of Wisconsin

Personal Reflection:
When I first began my college search during my junior year of high school, I started looking for small, private, liberal arts schools that were within a 3-hour radius of my hometown of Morris, IL. My parents chose this distance so they didn’t have to make any roundtrips of more than 6 hours in one day, but it also served a purpose for me, as well. It was close enough for me to go home frequently, yet still far enough away so that I felt as though I had actually left home. The fact that my parents definitely had to call before they visited me helped, too – no worry of any surprise visits from them!

Monmouth College was the first school I visited, and after that, there honestly was no hope for any other school. I know it sounds unrealistic, but as soon as I stepped onto campus, I felt extremely comfortable and as though this were the place where I really belonged. Everyone was so friendly, I felt like I was a visitor at Disney World! I loved the entire campus, especially the dorms and the art building. It turned out to be a good thing I liked MC as well as I did, too. Once my mom heard about the financial assistance packages, she sternly whispered to me to pack my bags and buy a sweatshirt at the bookstore, because this was the school I was going to attend!

Although I could write pages upon pages of things I love about Monmouth, I’ll try to sum up some of my favorites. When I arrived at MC, I was extremely undecided about my major. Fortunately, I received countless hours of help from my advisor, who was also one of my professors. She was always available for me to come to her office or even to call her at home for help, as I changed my major 5 times during my 4 years. Many of my other professors also went above and beyond to assist my fellow classmates and me. I ate dinner and participated in discussions at their houses, received calls from them for help with my assignments, and even had a professor send recommendations for me all the way from his home in Wisconsin. Plus, with so many MC professors holding the highest degree in their field, I always knew I’d have an expert on the subject leading our class discussions, lectures, and projects.

Perhaps most importantly, though, my Monmouth professors taught me more than just facts and information; they taught me how to think. I can clearly remember my first Freshmen Seminar class (now called Introduction to Liberal Arts). I had read the assigned summer reading and was fully prepared to ace a quiz on the material, as I would have done in high school. However, when we were asked to discuss the material and what we thought of it, rather than simply recite information, I was floored. I knew what I knew, but I didn’t know what I thought! Over the course of my four years, my professors help me evolve from my previous method of rote memorization and learn to analyze, challenge, and promote creative new ideas. Later, as I continued my studies with a graduate degree, I again realized just how valuable their support and encouragement was to my academic growth.

On the social side, Monmouth had countless opportunities to get involved on campus when I was a student, and there are even more today! While I was a student, I was a member and officer of Kappa Kappa Gamma, participated in the Students Organized for Success (SOS) after-school program, worked as a Scots Ambassador tour guide and caller before becoming an Admission intern, and even worked as an art assistant to prepare the gallery for shows. There’s definitely a place for everyone at Monmouth College, though, whether it be in athletics, student government, Greek life, theater, music, or any of the various clubs and organizations. I certainly hope you will visit campus yourself and find out if Monmouth is as perfect for you as it was for me!