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Featured student: Anna Graham, Class of '12
It may sound like a contradiction, but Anna Graham ’12 wants the college that feels most like home to take her far away.
“I chose Manchester because of the study abroad program,” says the Spanish and social work major from Fort Wayne. “But once I came to visit, I fell in love with the campus, the teachers, class sizes and the students. Everyone was so friendly and it just felt like home.”
Anna’s life goal is to help children “grow up to be well-rounded, fully functioning adults.” But she hopes to get her passport stamped a few times first. She studied in Mexico for a semester and taught English there. “Living in Mexico has changed how I view myself as a person from the United States,” says Anna. “It made me appreciate what I have and who I am.”
She also plans to apply for a Fulbright grant to teach English in another country. Anna says it’s about more than giving students in her host country an educational advantage. “I hope to help bridge the gap between the differences in this world that can’t be explained because of a language barrier.”
Eventually, Anna will focus her social work career on young people. “I want to give a life back to children and teenagers who are troubled or without homes and families,” says Anna. “Working in an adoption agency would be a dream come true. I could help children find a home and a family.”
Wherever life leads, Manchester has prepared her in many ways, says Anna. Home or abroad, she's using her education to go places.
By Melinda Lantz ’81 |
