Lucia Rodezno
Country
Honduras
Major/Minor
Major in Psychology/Hispanic Studies
Minor in Latin American Studies
Activities on campus
2009 Class President, Resident Advisor Preceptor (student academic advisor), Latino Student Association Co-President, Spanish Tutor, Research Assistant, Latin Dance Instructor
What led to your decision to attend Wheaton?
The Connections program, its student body diversity and its faculty and staff availability to work with students' needs and interests were all important factors in my decision to attend Wheaton. In addition, the optional SAT policy played an important role in my interest to apply; to me, it meant that the college respects the way in which each individual student presents their skills and aptitudes.
Adjusting to Wheaton
I had a challenging transition to Wheaton. I didn't want to pressure myself to fit amongst people, so I stayed in my room all the time--from day 1. I was running on a "go to class-get straight As-go back to my room" mode. I was self-conscious about my accent (which turned out not to be as thick as I thought) and didn't speak unless I was spoken to; people thought I was shy and timid (when in fact I'm not). Now I realize that staying inside my room and not speaking at all, was MY problem. I didn't realize that I missed all the orientation events, which are in fact the ones that get you talking to people--the same ones who become your friends. I also didn't realize that to make even more friends, I had to find a way to align my interests with the many activities, clubs and organizations that Wheaton offers; I wasn't even aware that I could start my own club. But then again, I wasn't aware because I was in my room all the time.
Professor, John Bezis-Selfa was the faculty member that helped me the most during my transition period, even though he wasn't aware of my difficulties, he was always willing to talk to me outside of class about my interests in Latin America history and expand on topics covered in class. Also, my best friend Elsy Estevez '09, invited me to clubs and activities where I started making more friends. Slowly I started taking the initiative to propose different activities and progressively I took other leadership roles.
Professors and Academics
My favorite professor, Francisco Fernandez de Alba, is knowledgeable in many areas outside his expertise. He is always discussing topics that have to do with classes that he doesn't teach; he is readily accessible and available to propose new ideas for research projects and further readings in any given topic. He can often be found having coffee at the Balfour-Hood Cafe with fellow colleagues from his department or with his students. While having coffee with him, he helped me in the development of a project for my second major and made sure to follow through with its progress, even though he wasn't involved in teaching the course. In his classes he is open to new ideas and excited that students are willing to be innovative and find the way to incorporate their major/minor or any other personal interests.
My favorite class has been a psychology course, Perception, taught by Rolf Nelson; in this class I learned the intricacies and explanation of many daily optical/visual illusions. This class was particularly meaningful to me because the cognitive orientation in Psychology was what I liked most. Also, this class demanded a lot of studying, so I had to develop time management skills in order to balance studying with other activities.
How does the academic experience at Wheaton compare to what you were used to in your home country and/or in your secondary school?
I feel my secondary school prepared me for the academic rigor that I was to face in college. Time management wasn't as essential in high school as it is in college. Without teachers reminding me of due assignments or my parents telling me when to should go to bed, it was crucial that I use the skills that I acquired in high school to balance the time management skills that I was yet to develop in college.
What I like best about Wheaton's academic program is the Connections requirement; through it I was able to incorporate both of my majors in studying a psychological syndrome in a character in Hispanic literature.
What do you think is important for prospective international students to know about Wheaton College?
Being a student at Wheaton is an experience that can be molded into many different shapes. Interests can be combined in thousands of ways, a Math major doesn't need to be part of the Math club; he/she can dance in TRYBE or be in the Dance Company, have a minor in Economics or in French and study abroad in Brasil or have an internship during the summer. At Wheaton everyone is unique, and pursues what ever combination of interests he or she wishes.