Mercer’s Own Charming Charley!!

Major: Marketing & Management majors; Communications minorClassification: JuniorCampus Involvement: Alpha Delta Pi, American Marketing Association, Delta Sigma Pi, and Phi Eta Sigma

 

Hobbies: I love reading for pleasure, traveling to new places, and enjoying the occasional Netflix binge/addiction. If not reading or traveling, one can often find me in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes or in-town trying new eateries and food with friends. I often think “hole-in-the-wall” places hide some of the best gastronomy secrets.Role Model: It’s really difficult to choose just one person who would singularly be described as my one role-model; however, my grandfather (or as I fondly call him, my “Pa”) is a person who has had a significant impact on my life. At 87 years old, he is one of the kindest and most religious people I have ever met. His passionate spirit extends into the lives of his family and friends in a tiny, rural town in East Tennessee where he serves on several boards and committees as a well-respected townsperson. One of his best stories and crowning achievements include serving President Eisenhower dinner on his 19th birthday while stationed in Alaska with the Army.Future Plans: I intend to pursue post-graduate studies and travel as much as I can across the globe. After graduation, I plan to backpack across Southeast Asia and visit cultural “treasure troves” in places like Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia before starting grad school.

 

Favorite MU Professor: Without a doubt, Dr. Kevin Cummings, is my favorite Mercer professor. He has been the instructor in four of my Communication classes. He enters every class with rejuvenated excitement for class discussion and in-depth knowledge about current events in the media. He genuinely cares about his students which is reflected in his teaching.What is your favorite Mercer memory? I absolutely loved when my residence hall flooded last year. Don’t get me wrong, while “The Great Shorter Flood of 2013” was initially not all that fun, camping in a hotel with my best friend and other Shorter residents was an irreplaceable experience. I remembering stumbling into the hotel lobby, delirious from lack of sleep, to do some studying for my final exams that week… literally half of the other Shorter residents greeted me in the lobby with their noses crammed into their books and slurping on the free hotel coffee. I guess it takes a flood to really bond one with their peers…What is a tip that you have to other students for the new year? Study abroad! Go. NOW. Widen your circle to experience other cultures and develop independence. There’s an indescribable feeling associated with climbing to the top of an ancient ruin and viewing expansive vineyards and red-roofed dwellings nestled together in a valley or becoming lost in a foreign city that causes you to stumble across al fresco Saturday morning markets in a prime viewing spot to “people watch,” along with staying in a 12-bedroom hostel (sleeping next to strangers), yet walking away from the experience with new, international best friends. Never had I imagined I would see such pristinely beautiful scenes that only filmmakers wish they could capture in real life or met such incredible people that totally changed my way of viewing the world. Studying abroad changes your world view. If you don’t think you have time or finances, still investigate. Go see Beth Walker in the Study Abroad Office… she’s one seriously amazing wonder woman who works miracles when it comes to international exchange programs because she realizes the incredible, life-altering experiences one encounters when studying abroad.

 

Favorite Quote: “Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”–C. S. Lewis