By SHANNON CAULFIELD
The Medford Sun
The now former Shawnee High School sophomore will be attending Bard College at Simon Rock, located in Great Barrington, Mass. beginning this fall.
“All of our 400 students come to us after 10th or 11th grade in high school. We give them a broad-minded, paradigm-shifting education; faculty trained in the country’s best universities; inspired and inspiring classes; first-class facilities for the sciences, the arts, and athletics; and an astonishing range of opportunities for conducting specialized research and gaining hands-on experience,” Bard College’s official site states.
Igo took the PSATs and began receiving numerous emails from various colleges, including Bard. The college caught her eye and sparked a process moving her from a high school student to a college student.
“I was getting a lot of emails about general college info, one of them was for Bard College saying I could start this fall,” Shannon said.
The process was quick for Igo, filling out the application and submitting it within a week’s time and all before Christmas, for her to attend this fall and receive a scholarship.
“The application, I thought, was different than [my other kids] applications. They asked you to send a letter to a newspaper about what you’re passionate about or solve a mathematic puzzle,” said Holly Igo, Shannon’s mother.
Shannon will be surrounded by peers her age at the college, some of whom she has become acquainted with using a popular social network.
“I don’t know anyone personally, but there’s a Facebook group for people going to the college to introduce themselves,” Shannon said.
The college visit in the spring sealed the deal for Shannon and her family.
“The one professor we met in April was publishing a book and was using the students to help him. One was a research assistant, they were all a part of it,” Holly said.
“Our professors don’t just teach; they advise, collaborate with, counsel, nurture, and mentor students. You’ll know your professors by their first names, you’ll meet for coffee at a café or for dinner at their houses, you’ll run into them in town or at the dining hall or at a concert. You’ll come to think of them and they’ll come to think of you as especially bright and interesting colleagues,” the official site states.
The teaching style wasn’t just comforting to Holly, but the number of professors per student, and upon learning of the attention Shannon would be receiving, Holly knew what the college was offering was invaluable.
“The students sit in discussion groups and learn by discussion, not by listening and taking notes. They do that at Shawnee, they just sit and listen. At the college it’s around nine to 10 to a classroom at Shawnee it’s 32,” Holly said.
The surrounding area and campus is full of rolling hills peppered with trees.
“It looks like Chatsworth with mountains,” Holly said.
“It’s beautiful there,” Shannon said. “The campus is spread out.”
Shannon plans on majoring in anthropology and would like to work as an anthropologist in a museum following graduation.
The early transition is hard on both Shannon and Holly. The Igo’s other two children are currently attending college and leaving for their respective schools soon after Shannon leaves for Bard.
“It’s hard on me because she’s young and I wasn’t ready to let her go yet,” Holly said. “The way they were describing the college I knew it was perfect for Shannon.
“I knew it’s what she needs. We want her to go, we don’t want to stand in the way of her education.”
“I’m excited and nervous. It’s a great opportunity but I’m nervous to leave my family at such a young age,” Shannon said.
To learn more about Bard College at Simon’s Rock, visit www.simons-rock.edu.
