Shane Hermsen

“I was lucky enough to be selected for a Lincoln Scholarship, significantly reducing the price of attending college. Beyond that, the small class sizes, personal connection with professors, and beautiful landscaping with an excellent lake view solidified my decision to attend.”

“My favorite class was Caribbean History: From Pirates to the Cuban Missile Crisis. I enjoyed how niche the topics were, which left me fascinated and wanting to learn more despite not even being a history major. We also had the opportunity to teach the material we learned to a group of middle schoolers who were learning similar topics. Professor Stephanie Mitchell was genuinely excited and passionate about the material, which made all the difference when it came time for the readings.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to take on a president position and restart Carthage’s Habitat for Humanity chapter. With the help of my passionate board members and volunteers, we’ve made an immense impact on the Racine and Kenosha communities with the unprecedented amount of off-campus outreach work we’ve done. By building affordable houses, providing food pantry meal service, sorting and donating clothing, and teaching kids about the importance of mental health and career planning, we’ve done everything possible to make the areas around us a better place to live. Making unhoused people who are often invisible feel seen is a big deal, and we try to do our best to further that goal. Beyond that, we’ve attended conferences in Washington, D.C., to advocate for more federal funding in hopes that programs for Habitat will be addressed and expanded financially.”

“Through Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, I attended a career-related conference in Washington, D.C., that allowed me to connect with law school recruiters and other passionate pre-law students. Numerous keynotes at the conference left me prepared for my future, and I learned how to excel on law school applications and personal statements.”

“During J-Term, my student organization decided to volunteer in the community. We took advantage of the pool tables and board games provided by Student Government to spend time with each other and connect. A group of my friends and I also organized a short vacation to Atlanta during the break between J-Term and the spring semester, which was an experience I will cherish forever. Carthage has created the perfect environment that has pushed me to experience and engage in opportunities I never would have explored before.”

“Take advantage of orientation week! Many of my friends came from my initial small group and agreed to do something after the pre-planned events were done for the day. Being genuinely curious about other people’s lives, asking questions, and getting involved in small groups or student organizations allow you to make close connections with people that can expand into larger networks of relationships.”