The Journey

How has your journey of academic discovery at Skidmore helped to shape who you are today?

Majors: Show All Answers American Studies Anthropology Art Art History Biology Chemistry Classics Computer Science Diversity Economics Education Studies English Environmental Studies Exercise Science Foreign Language Geosciences Government History International Affairs Management & Business Music Nursing Philosophy Psychology Self-determined Sociology Theater

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David Levine '91 (Economics)

"My academic experience was transformative in so many ways. I realized early in my Freshman year that questioning was both expected and encouraged. This was a new learning model for me. My academic experience also brought a new model to the student-teacher relationship. The relationships we had with faculty were so unique. Faculty tested our limits both in and out of the classroom. They helped us learn about what we value and who we are.

I apply both these principles to how I operate and how I encourage our employees to operate and how I want our children to learn."

Posted: 08/10/2012

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Johanna Barr '10 (English)

"One of the reasons I chose Skidmore was because I knew it would give me the freedom to study everything I was interested in. I began my freshman year planning to be a pre-med theater major and graduated as an English major and government minor. Along the way, I took classes in biology, psychology, anthropology, history and dance. I like to think that I'm an open-minded, well-rounded and intellectually curious person, and a lot of that is thanks to the four years I spent at Skidmore."

Posted: 08/06/2012

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Tina Olsen '65 (Art)

"I majored in art and was very fortunate to have teachers who helped me "see." I had teachers who introduced me to Buddhism, who fed my intellectual curiosity, who nurtured my creative hungering. And I found friends who have been a support throughout my life."

Posted: 08/06/2012

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Nelle Hotchkiss '85 (Government)

"Having the privilege to attend a small liberal arts institution as special as Skidmore College had a significant impact on my development as a person and in my career. Values and moral fortitude, on display by faculty and upperclassmen in both formal and informal settings, shaped my current beliefs and guided recent actions. Fascinating academic challenges and topics of discussion ignited interest in a multitude of interests I have today."

Posted: 08/06/2012

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Jill Durovsik '78 (Government)

"I look back at my years at Skidmore as some of the most fulfilling times of my life. Having college-aged children today, I can see the enormous role college plays in shaping the lives of young adults. And Skidmore was a vital building block in my appreciation of family, friends and career. At Skidmore it was cool to be smart and creative as I'm sure it is today. As wonderful as Skidmore was in the late 1970's, I am so impressed with how the school has grown."

Posted: 08/06/2012

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Sharon Anglum-Storrs '71 (Foreign Language)

"It really gave me a thirst for travel and learning and to never stop doing those things."

Posted: 08/06/2012

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Zach Gage '07 (Art)

"Skidmore taught me a lot of things, but most important for what I do now, it enriched my understanding of Art in a pretty profound way. The faculty gave me an incredible amount of space to explore the way I wanted, but enough guidance to put me on the road to great things. The Skidmore Art Dept, especially Deb Hall, Richard Linke, and Evangelos Courpas, were really incredible. I've met a lot of art grads and seen a lot of art programs in my brief time beyond Skidmore, and I've always been amazed at how lucky I was to get the education I got. Giving someone space to explore is paradoxically the easiest and the hardest part of teaching, and Skidmore did it very well."

Posted: 08/06/2012

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Andrea Roman Alfaro '12 (Sociology, Government)

"I came to Skidmore thinking that I wanted to major in sociology. I knew that I had to study something that would help me relate to people, understand society. I chose sociology and government because I thought they would prepare me to comprehend both sides of the relationship between structure and agency, between the individual and the state.

Both majors provided me with the necessary material, background, and experience to relate my own academic experience to my outside life. They gave me the chance to expand my horizons and be aware of what is happening around me. I think that the decision I have made and the way I address my life, my experiences, my relationships with other have been shaped by those long reading I had to do, the essays that pushed me to think even further, and the discussions I had with my peers in and outside of class.

Furthermore, professors have been a great resource and support for me. They did not only help me inside of the classroom but the time they take to sit down with you and discuss your ideas and prospects are absolutely valuable for your academic process. My academic discovery is never ending. It starts in the classroom and among those hundreds o books, but it keeps going in the lectures, conversations, and confrontations with other students."

Posted: 08/05/2012

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Ann Kahl '51 (Art)

"Going to Skidmore was totally enlightening in every way. My high school was the Washington Cathedral School for Girls, which was a very good academic school, but there was still an awful lot I didn't know. And when I got to Skidmore I learned so much. Every class I took, every teacher was inspiring. I'll tell you, not a day goes by that something doesn't refer me back to something I learned at Skidmore. I kid you not."

Posted: 08/01/2012