Rebekah Graduates Summa Cum Laude and Receives History Award

Rebekah Graduates Summa Cum Laude and Receives History Award

I recently graduated from Ave Maria University (May 10th, 2014) summa cum laude. I had the honor of being the salutatorian and receiving the departmental history award. I was previously home-schooled using Seton in high school.

Seton and homeschooling was such a blessing for me, particularly when I entered college! The strong work ethic that Seton emphasizes as an essential part of the vocation of being a student was helpful when it came for taking classes at the college level.

I was privileged to be able to get to know the incredible history department at Ave Maria University, and several of these professors became mentors to me during my thesis process. Homeschooling came in handy while I was writing my thesis on Charles Lindbergh and his 1927 transatlantic flight because I had the prior foundation in knowing how to work and research independently from Seton.

I found that I did not struggle (as much as I or others had anticipated) with time management in the transition from home school to college. This was because homeschooling had given me the tools to stay accountable and remain on track towards the goal–graduation and my degree. The summer after graduating summa cum laude and salutatorian of the Class of 2014, I was blessed to be able to marry my college sweetheart, a fellow Ave Maria graduate (Class of 2012).

Our marriage preparation was enriched by theology classes that I had taken while homeschooling. I think that that is the mark of a successful homeschooling program–college and vocation preparatory!

I currently live in Kentucky with my husband, who is finishing up his master’s degree in Classics and applying for Ph.D programs. I am working as an infant teacher for one of the local Catholic schools. My dream is to combine my history degree with the writing skills learned at Seton–I hope to be able to pursue further research opportunities, especially helping to write down and preserve the life stories of the elderly.

Over the past two summers, I was privileged to be able to help a former NFL player and dentist preserve his life story, likely for future publication.