Manchester junior Hallie Sorg is going places.
For a North Manchester native who chose the local University to stay close to home and family, Hallie travels a lot. In her first two years, she participated in Professor Jeff Osborne’s Medical Practicums to Nicaragua and Guatemala, and she spent this past summer conducting research at a university in Taiwan. Her passport won’t even cool off before she heads to Belize in January to study Cultural Anthropology with Assistant Professor Jared Friesen.
“Medical Practicum with Dr. Osborne was a big draw for me,” says Hallie about her decision to attend Manchester. Her first practicum marked her first trip outside the United States and, since then, she says, “I’ve learned that I like traveling a lot.” Several years of Spanish study have helped her navigate the Latin America adventures and, anywhere Hallie is, she enjoys learning about other cultures.
Her well-rounded student experience is one of the reasons Hallie loves Manchester. It’s also one of the reasons that Manchester is known for graduating well-rounded biology-chemistry majors like Hallie, who are prepared for success in medical and other professional schools.
Hallie came to Manchester weighing a career in either animal health or human health. She loves animals and has helped take care of dogs in 4 Paws for Ability, MU’s service dog program. She also has job-shadowed professionals at the Manchester Veterinary Clinic.
Now, however, she is leaning toward human health. “Medical Practicum got me interested in family medicine because then you get to work with kids and adults,” she adds. A family practice would allow her to be more holistic, helping patients consider their diets, exercise habits and other factors toward improving their overall health.
Until then, Hallie has plenty to keep her busy. A regular on the Dean’s List, Hallie is active in the student mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics organizations as well as Pre-Professionals of Science and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She plays intramural volleyball, is a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, and is very active in the student group Manchester Catholics. This fall, the group moved into a new center, an outreach of St. Robert’s Catholic Church, across the street from campus.
Opportunities like that have only reinforced Hallie’s choice to attend Manchester. “It’s definitely a very welcoming environment. You won’t fail to make friends.” Faculty and staff go out of their way to help students, she adds, and “there are plenty of things to get involved in, no matter what your interests are.”
What’s more, living in Oakwood Hall and having her close-knit family a few miles away is the best of both worlds. “I’m a pretty introverted person, but I’ve definitely come out of that more since I came here,” said Hallie. She can go home whenever she wants to, but she knows that she would miss a lot if she didn’t live on campus. “Being in the residence hall really helps you build that community.”
A community that Hallie will carry with her to all of the places she goes.
By Melinda Lantz ’81