Mary DeVault '15
Hometown: Merrillville, Ind.
High School: Andrean High School
Major: Psychology
Minor: Business
Activities or clubs you're involved in at SJC?
I am President of Green Pumas (sustainability group), and I also build sets for the SJC Theatre.
How did you hear about SJC?
I heard about SJC through friends who attend the College.
Are you getting financial aid or loans? How are they helping you to attend SJC?
Achiever's Grant, Deans Scholarship, St. Katharine Drexel Grant, Performance Scholarship in Theatre, Realizing the Dream Scholarship, Federal Stafford Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized), and a Federal Plus Loan. I probably would not be able to go to SJC without my financial aid and scholarships.
Why did you choose SJC? If there were other colleges you considered, what does SJC have that they did not have?
I chose SJC because it is small and close to home. I considered two of Indiana's major state universities as well. SJC is smaller and has a good Education program that gets you in the field in the first semester. That helped me realize that Education wasn't for me, and then I changed my major.
What are your career plans?
After my undergraduate, I will have to get my master's. I would love to do counseling and have a private practice, but I'm going to wait and see because it is still too soon to tell.
How do you feel about the Core Program?
I like the Core Program because we get to learn about our culture and other cultures. It helps improve our writing skills, and we get to share ideas with other students during our discussion classes. I like that it is taught by many different teachers from different fields of study. It gives different perspectives, making it interdisciplinary. Overall I like it.
Do you feel that the Core Program has helped you in your other classes within your major? How do you think the Core Program will help you after graduation?
I do notice that things I talk about in my major do show up in the Core Program as well. As I said, Core does help with writing skills which is beneficial to my other classes. After graduation, I will be very well rounded and knowledgeable about many different topics besides my own major. It will help me hold discussions with other people and share my ideas as well as seeing their point of view.
Mary Is "Realizing the Dream"
Mary was selected to win the "Realizing the Dream" Award, which recognizes high achieving first-generation college students attending a college that is a member of the Independent Colleges of Indiana. She was honored at the "Realizing the Dream" banquet in Indianapolis in fall 2012. As an honoree, Mary was asked to choose her "most influential" teacher. Mary's choice was Nicole Severance, who taught Mary in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade at Aquinas School at St. Andrews in Merrillville.
More about Mary and "Realizing the Dream":
http://www.saintjoe.edu/news/?id=6108
