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While a senior at
Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe High School, Rachel Wilson McNew was so
convinced that she was “never going to Dalton” that she refused
to visit the campus during Senior Days.
“I told my friends ‘I’m not going to Dalton,’” she recalls, “so
I didn’t see any point in taking the day off from school to make
the trip.”
But a few months later, McNew found herself on the Dalton State
campus, and “I’m still here. I’m loving Dalton.”
During the four years she’s spent at Dalton State, the
22-year-old has fit into many “categories” of students. Starting
as a “traditional” freshman taking 15 hours, she’s also been a
part-time student working off campus, a student worker actively
involved in campus life, and now a married and self-described
“non-traditional” student with a baby on the way.
Having gone from at one time being an uninvolved commuter, McNew
says she’s found that being very actively engaged in school
activities has been extremely rewarding.
“Once you take the initiative to do something more than just go
to classes, your experience as a student becomes really great.
The activities here are really fun. And when you work on campus
like I do in Student Activities and Enrollment Services, you see
how much work goes on behind the scenes to make the college
experience come together.”
Through her work study opportunities, McNew helps with
recruitment through Enrollment Services, talking with
perspective students, leading campus tours, and assisting with
mass mailings. |
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She’s also been involved with planning events on campus through
Student Activities, meeting with musicians and helping with
set-ups for performers.
For McNew, the oldest of four, working with fellow and younger
students comes naturally. Formerly a youth leader for her
church, she’s also been an orientation leader at Dalton State.
“I like working with young people, so at one time I considered
going into education. But I began to realize that I wanted to
focus on troubled teens in general rather than just the few I
might end up having in a classroom.”
That realization, plus the “amazing” experience she’s had taking
criminal justice classes from Assistant Professor Tony Simones,
led her to declare a major in the discipline. As one of the
first to enroll in the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
program new this fall, McNew is eagerly looking forward to
starting her junior and senior-level courses. She’s particularly
excited to be enrolled in a class called “Special Topics and
Crime Watch.”
“I have enjoyed every class that I’ve taken in criminal
justice,” she says. “I love being able to debate in those
classes. We really feel like our opinions are listened to,” she
says, noting that some courses involve watching “really great
movies” and television clips that deal with justice issues.
“That’s not as easy as it sounds,” she says with a laugh. “Dr.
Simones asks questions that really get you thinking. We spend a
lot of time analyzing and evaluating those shows and we always
write a paper on them.”
When she graduates, McNew hopes to work in the field of child
and youth advocacy, helping teens navigate the mysteries of the
court system.
“I guess you could say I have a heart for teens,” she says. “The
court system can confuse people pretty quickly, even adults, so
I’d like to help young people find their way through.”
Although she’s looking forward to a fulfilling career, McNew
will always have fond menories for her experience at Dalton
State, including the summer she spent studying abroad in Spain.
“I would recommend study abroad to anybody enrolled in college,”
she says. “It’s pretty amazing.”
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