Melissa Nunez – Opinions and Features Editor
A keen third grade girl comes to Southern with her older sister and sits with a DVD player watching movies, her sister listens to her professor lecture her education class. The next day the third grade girl goes to school eagerly bragging to her friends about her day as a college student.
Anna Plasky, a junior chemistry major, said these were some of her fondest memories on campus with her sister and part of the reason she decided to come to Southern herself, even choosing the education program, like her big sister.
“When I was little, when I had days off from school and my parents were still working, I would come here with her and sit in her classes,” said Plasky. “I felt like the coolest person ever, I would always go back to school the next day and be like, ‘I went to college yesterday.’”
Initially, Plasky said she pictured herself as a teacher and thought Southern’s education program was an obvious choice, but after taking a chemistry class she decided education may not be for her.
Plasky said a major reason she chose chemistry over education was because of her grandfather, who was a professor in chemistry at Gateway community college. She said she adored her grandfather and loved when he would give her lengthy lectures on the simplest of homework questions.
“My grandfather was a chemist and he passed away before I made it to college,” said Plasky. “So I always took an interest in what he did and I think having the class, I thought it was a really cool way to learn what he learned. He knew something about everything and I was always asking him questions about how stuff worked. My parents would always get mad because he would give two hour explanations to homework problems, but I loved it and I would sit there and listen to all of it.”
Plasky said out of 10 grandchildren, her high school graduation was the only one her grandfather would not get to see and by studying chemistry she is honoring his memory.
“He passed away my senior year of high school, which was really hard because I am the only grandchild he never saw graduate from high school,” said Plasky. “So sticking with chemistry is my way of connecting with him and honoring him.”
Anna added that her years at Southern has been filled with making more positive memories with friends and getting involved, saying she volunteers with Programs Council and helps organize free events for students.
“I love all of the professors that I have had, I made a lot of really good friends and I have gotten involved on campus,” said Plasky. “I started volunteering with Programs Council. I help them set up, and run the programs, and it’s really fun. I met a lot of cool people through that. And it is really fun because people are really excited because most of our events are free and they get free stuff. And it is fun to see all the behind the scenes stuff, like how they put it together.”
After graduation, Anna said she is debating between two career choices, because of her minor in forensics she would like to work in a chemistry lab, but she realizes how difficult they are to get into. She said the other possibility would be becoming a chemistry teacher, like her grandfather, and everyone tells her that she would make a great teacher.
Photo Credit: Melissa Nunez
[…] Published: November 18, 2016 […]