Mary Kate Schiff
Major : Elementary & Special Education
High School : Wildwood High School
Hometown : Wildwood Crest, NJ
Activities : Student Activity Board, Resident Life
Advisory Board, Orientation Leader, Resident Assistant
When contemplating college, Mary Kate Schiff was a little worried,
as most high school seniors are, when they are about to make such
a big decision and change. It was important for her to succeed academically,
but she felt it was just as important to "fit in socially."
Today as a sophomore student in the elementary and special education
program at Neumann College, she feels her fears were unfounded. "I'm
doing so well academically and I'm making so many good friends. There's
always something to do here and new people to meet."
It certainly doesn't hurt that Neumann is less than a two-hour
drive from her Wildwood Crest, New Jersey home, should she have
an attack of homesickness. But, she says, the primary reasons for
her feeling so at ease at Neumann are the small school size and
the teachers.
"The smaller campus makes it easy to get around, and the
small classes make it easy to learn," she says. "Teachers
here are so helpful. They care and make sure you understand and
learn." They represent for her the kind of teacher she'd
like to be someday.
According to Mary Kate, everyone at Neumann, from staff to administration
and faculty, is "so available." She says students sometimes
feel lots of stresses at school; but, "people here know how
to relieve the stress and make you feel better. They spend time
talking with you. They even go as far as continuing to check up
on you to make sure you're ok. They watch over you. If there's
ever a problem, I feel I can talk to anyone here."
Mary Kate hopes to teach 5th grade someday and earn a master's
degree in special education as well. "I worked at a day camp
for several years and like being around kids. There's something
new every day. I look forward to the challenges that teaching
presents, and the opportunity to interact with different kinds
of students. It's very rewarding to be able to help educate a
child," she says.
