Perfect Fit
As a high school senior, Stephen Santana had his sights set on a large state university, but one visit to the Berry campus with his father changed his outlook – and his future.
"Everything about Berry seemed right," he recalled. "It was very odd for me to change my mind since I am very set in my ways, but it was even more peculiar that my father saw the value in Berry as well. That visit changed our minds, and we knew that Berry was the right fit for me. Something about Berry welcomes you and makes you feel like you are at home."
Fittingly, Stephen had the opportunity to share that sense of "home" with others as the student lead for Berry’s summer orientation program. In that role, the early childhood education major was responsible for the planning and execution of five two-day sessions welcoming hundreds of new students and their parents, supervising the efforts of 15 orientation leaders and developing a guidebook for new students. The result of his hard work was overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants and the 2010 Chief Moore Award honoring the most outstanding male student in Berry’s Work Experience Program.
By the time he graduated, Stephen had built an impressive academic resume that helped him gain admission to graduate school at Vanderbilt University.
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