Almost ten years after graduating from Northwestern, thirty-one-year-old Rhea Drozdenko '15 reflects on why she chose Northwestern, how she found success on campus, and how her education at Northwestern contributes to her success today. Originally from Torrington, Rhea graduated with a liberal arts and science degree in 2015 after receiving several prestigious awards and scholarships including serving as the alternate representative to the Board of Regents Student Advisory Committee, Student Senate President, and Phi Theta Kappa honor society Vice President. She also received the All-USA and CT Academic Award based on outstanding academic performance and service to the college and community, and delivered her class address at her graduation. Rhea was happy to take some time out of her busy schedule to reflect on what Northwestern meant to her ten years ago and how her campus experiences still impact her life and career today.
Why did you attend Northwestern? What did you like about the campus?
I was excited to attend Northwestern as an affordable way for me to get an education close to home. When I started college, I very much did not know what I wanted to do as a career or where I wanted my educational path to take me. So I was grateful to be able to explore different courses and fields at Northwestern. My favorite part about campus was that it was truly a community. I genuinely loved attending classes with professors who cared so much about their students. I loved that so many students were engaged beyond just academics, and that there were so many great clubs that I could be involved in.
Did you work on campus? If so where and in what capacity?
I worked as a tutor in the Academic Success Center (Psychology, Human Services, Computer Software Applications, and English) as well as an embedded tutor for an English 101 class.
What was one of your most memorable experiences or opportunities you had on campus or in the classroom?
My most memorable experience would be speaking at my graduation. It was an honor to be chosen for that role, and to be able to speak to the rest of my graduating class. But some of my fondest memories were honestly just sitting in the lounge and having great conversations with my fellow students, and professors and staff. I really felt at home there.