This is a university that places a great deal of emphasis on transforming lives. We take that very seriously. And that hasn't changed actually, since the university opened in 1942. It's what's of greatest importance to me and I would have to say to most of the faculty as well.
Here at FDU we have a total of four campuses. One is located in Teaneck, New Jersey, one is located in Madison, New Jersey, as well as the two campuses abroad. The Vancouver campus in Canada, as well as the Wroxton campus in England.
We're an amazingly diverse institution. We have students come to us from all walks of life, every race, religion or creed.
The faculty here are extraordinary. They're very passionate about their teaching, their research, their scholarly work, but also bringing their experiences to the classroom and sharing those experiences with students.
When you become a professor, it's because you love teaching, you love guiding, you love mentoring people through life. It's a life experience. And I'm giving them whatever you gave me when I came here.
One of the opportunities that students have here at university is to do research, either in class or with a professor and they get transformed because they learn how to actually take the scientific method, put it into practice, and utilize it to get results.
Our programs emphasize hands-on application. And that's very important for us. And then most of the engineering programs spend a lot of time on theory, but in our program, we emphasize immediately about how to apply those theory that they learned in the class. We have invested a lot of money in creating several state of the art laboratories in preparing the students very well to work in the high tech industry.
Well, the Honors Program has really helped me grow inside and outside of the classroom. I have gained many opportunities to develop better work ethic.
In the Honors Program, my primary job is to be an academic mentor, working with students through the research process and helping them to go from being freshmen into someone that's able to produce a senior thesis project and this ready for what lies after they graduate.
At the School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. we focus on preparing our students around our five core values of think, communicate, advocate, lead, and implement. And we talked about those being the non-negotiable attributes that our students are really focused on, in preparing themselves to become effective health practitioners who are trusted and who are part of an effective health care team.
The sense of family that we have at FDU is indescribable, and unmeasurable. We have students that are involved not only in athletics, but they are also involved in clubs, sororities, and fraternities. And they're always giving back to each other.
I was able to join a sorority, my freshman year, which opened up a lot of doors for me and helped me become the leader that I am today.
I mean, when we won the championship, the support from our student athletes, students, alumni, faculty, family and friends, was historic.
I've been lucky and fortunate to play sports. That has helped me tremendously. I joined the Honor Society my last two years here. And now I'm the president of that Honor Society, which has also led to great networking opportunities and connections.
Our student athletes are good students, good people, and good athletes. They grow and get better in all three phases of their life while they're here. And when they graduate, they're very well prepared for the world of work, and to be productive in their communities, and be successful with their families.
I think what sets Fairleigh Dickinson University apart is how obvious it is that all of the faculty and staff are so invested in your success.
Students can start their own clubs here, they can get involved in so many different ways. And from my perspective and career development, I know that when employers look at your resume and look at your background, they want to see diversity. They want to see a well rounded candidate. That's something that all students have the opportunity to do here.
Because of our location in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, we can offer our students so many different opportunities. And so we really take advantage of our location to help our students explore and find the careers that make them happy.
FDU has been really transformational for me. It has a diverse community, really dedicated professors, and a support system that's going to allow you to succeed in the future.
FDU has changed my life by helping me to grow more confident in myself as a student, as a leader, and as professional and for that I'm eternally grateful.
