Senior Spotlight meets
final senior staff members
By: Kyle
Christensen, News Editor
Not many people
can truly understand the amount of passion and energy needed to
keep an entire college community informed of the happenings of
the campus on a routine basis. For senior Ian Van Anden, though,
he has had years of experience during which he has learned the
trials, tribulations and ultimate honor of serving this function
as a leader in campus media. As the Editor-in-Chief for The
Courier student newspaper of Monmouth College, Van Anden has
played a principle part in producing a weekly publication that
has sought to entertain and enlighten the College masses while
aiming for the highest standards of professional collegiate
journalism.
Van Anden says
that his time with the newspaper over the past four years
(having previously served as sports editor and a reporter) has
provided some of his most memorable moments as a student.
“Thursday nights in the publications office have been terrific.
I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and learned lots of good things
down there,” he stated. Not surprisingly, Van Anden considers
the moment he was officially granted the title of
Editor-in-Chief for the 2007-2008 year to be his proudest
accomplishment at Monmouth College, commenting, “I felt like I
would be serving the campus in a positive way. It has been a lot
of fun and hard work.”
In addition to
his loyalty to the newspaper, Van Anden also kept himself busy
with various other duties at the College, having taken on such
positions as a resident assistant and head resident, Scots
Ambassador and sports director for the WMCR student radio
station. Furthermore, Van Anden realizes that his hours spent
inside the classroom have benefited him just as greatly as his
extra-curricular participation. A history and communication and
theater arts major, Van Anden regards professors of history
Stacy and Simon Cordery and professor of political science
Tobias Gibson as being his favorite instructors, as “each has
had a special impact on me becoming a stronger student.” Van
Anden is hoping to continue his commitment to learning through
attending graduate school in the future, although he has yet to
determine when and what field he wishes to study.
Van Anden was
recently named “Senior Man of the Year” by the Blue Key honorary
society and has accepted a position as a sports reporter for the
“Daily Review Atlas” in Monmouth, Ill. These accomplishments
will help round out an entire undergraduate career of personal
successes and triumphs. Despite the high prospects for Van Anden
following commencement, he admits that he will remember his days
at Monmouth College fondly, stating that he will miss both its
“strong sense of community and tradition,” and its type of
environment where people can “walk across the campus and say
‘Hi’ to the people they know.” To those who follow after him at
Monmouth College, Van Anden leaves these words of advice: “You
need to take advantage of all the things that MC offers. Don’t
let them pass by, or you’ll regret it by your senior year.”
|
By: Ian Van
Anden, Editor-in-Chief
Monmouth College is on the cusp
of losing yet another of its brightest stars. Senior Abigail
McLaughlin is set to walk across the stage on Sunday, May 18,
along with her fellow seniors. She will be receiving her
bachelors of arts in psychology with a classics minor.
McLaughlin hails from Rockridge High School in the small town of
Taylor Ridge, Ill. Though she did not travel far to come to
Monmouth College, her experiences have certainly taken her a
long way.
“I
have learned to be a much stronger leader and I have grown-up a
lot in these years…most of that growth has come through the
residence life program,” said the senior.
She
continued by saying, “Being a head resident made me grow a lot and
helped me find what I am meant to be doing with the rest of my
life.”
After
graduation McLaughlin is set to attend graduate school at Western
Illinois University, where she will serve as an assistant complex
director while she studies college student personnel.
McLaughlin’s memories of Monmouth are strong and the one she most
cherishes is giving her senior research in the fall 2007 semester.
She added with a smile, “It went really well.”
There
have been many people helping McLaughlin along the way. She
credits the faculty with helping her develop not only as a
student, but also as a person.
Specifically, McLaughlin credits the entire psychology faculty and
Stacy Cordery as important figures in her development. “There have
just been so many [faculty members] that I like and very much
respect,” she said.
Her
friends have also had a profound impact on her time at Monmouth.
McLaughlin credits Hilary Hawkinson with helping her develop into
a assertive and effective head resident.
“Ashley Lawrence has been my one true friend through all four
years at Monmouth, and she means the world to me” said McLaughlin.
With
her time ticking away here at Monmouth McLaughlin says, “I don’t
want to leave here EVER…I love it here too much.”
Nevertheless, life will continue for the senior psychology major.
As she remembers her favorite parts of Monmouth, she says with a
smile, “I am going to miss the lamp posts and seeing the seasons
change here. Our campus is gorgeous!”
She
also claims she will miss the people. “I will miss the faculty
because we are in a place where they [the faculty] truly care
about all their students and keep up with them as much as they
can. If it hadn’t been for them, my experience here would not have
been nearly as meaningful as it has been.”
Through her dedicated work as a head resident for two years in
Fulton Hall, McLaughlin has had a profound impact on the lives of
her residents. She leaves them and all those she will leave behind
with this advice: “I want people to be involved on campus. I want
people to love this place as much as I do. It’s a shame. I wish
people could see the beauty in this place and not just a small
city with nothing to do.” |
