Declaration Day connects students with majors and future career paths
Director of Academic Advising Dr. Karmen Stephenson considered this year’s Declaration Day a success despite hosting it in the Scots Learning Commons rather than the Clayton Center for the Arts Foyer.
“The whole idea for hosting the event in the SLC came about because the CCA was not available on the best date for Declaration Day – so we took that small setback as an opportunity to re-home Declaration Day in a space that is designed for accessing resources and fostering academic success, which is what academic advising is all about. We hope it inspires more students to come in, get a coffee and find a comfy productivity spot,” said Stephenson.
They also had to contend with the yearly challenge of communicating with the students. They want students to know not only when and where the event is, but also how important it is to attend. The Advising Center continues its efforts to improve this event each year and welcomes any feedback.
“For next year, we will work on creating more space for folks to move around so it’s easier for students to get checked in, get from place to place and talk with faculty, staff and one another. We have already had a meeting to reflect on this year’s event and brainstorm ideas and improvements for next year,” Stephenson said.
Sarah Eaton (‘29) found the event very beneficial. She connected with the faculty within her major and received a very warm welcome.
“They were very nice when I walked up, gave me a lot of information and they were so excited to see me,” Eaton said
Eaton declared herself a Neuroscience major. She wants to be a neuroscientist upon graduating, and has already started looking at internships with hospitals in her local area. She is interested in researching conditions such as autism, ADHD and PTSD in veterans. Eaton is looking forward to her neuroscience and developmental psychology classes.
“I like working with the brain… trying to figure out what mental challenges affect our brain that we tend not to see,” Eaton said.
Finn Vila (‘29) declared himself an ASL interpreting major because he fell in love with the language by taking ASL as his foreign language in high school.
“I kind of fell into the community, chatting with deaf people and I could never really see myself doing anything else,” Vila said.
Vila is excited for the ASL classes, but also mentioned that he was keen to take some of the general education math classes.
Vila commented that the Declaration Day event was very crowded, but he appreciated engaging with all of the tables.
“As long as you picked the right time to go around the tables, it was really quite fun and enjoyable to talk to everybody,” Vila said.
Clara Lindsay (‘29) felt similarly and said, “I really enjoyed it. I liked how they had all of the tables set out, and you could kind of just go around and ask questions. Even if it wasn’t something you were necessarily considering doing, you could still hear about it … [and] learn more about the programs we have at the college.”
Lindsay declared herself an English major because she is passionate about literature and would love to teach others about it. She is excitedly anticipating higher-level literature classes and is already loving her British Literature class this semester.
Stephenson wanted to thank Vickie Skates, September Wilson (‘24), Cody Dishner, student workers from the Scots Learning Commons, Amelia Gorz and staff from the Career Center and Heather McMahon. This event would not have been possible without the outstanding support from these individuals and from other organizations around campus.
Maryville College students (from left to right) Finn Vila, Bella McCubbing, and Clara Lindsay pose for a photo during Declaration Day. (Photo courtesy of Maryville College.)