Dear Friends at PC,

I wouldn't usually send out an email to faculty and staff, but in this case, I felt really motivated to do so. As most of you know, I am studying in Athens, Greece this semester. I am taking Athens on Site, a history course where you meet at a different historical place every day and discuss its impact on ancient and modern history; History of the Modern Greek State; The Greek Economy; and Greek Language.

In these classes, I am surrounded by students from Dartmouth, Princeton, William & Mary, Brown, Purdue, Georgetown, George Washington, and many other highly respected schools in the States. I hesitated at first, assuming they would all be smarter, more cultured, and certainly more eloquent than I am. In my two weeks of Orientation and classes, I have grown to love and respect my education at PC more than ever. I am competing with these students on the highest level. I am active in debates and knowledgable of the material in class.

My Art History class at PC prepared me so much that the other students ask me (often not the professor) about the artistic significance of friezes and pediments when we visit ancient ruins. My Intro to Political Thought class prepared me for conversations about Socrates and Plato with my roommates in the Philosophy class. My gen ed History taught me about the Crusades and Byzantine rule. CEP's taught me about the importance of Islam and has enabled me to connect that with its role in the Ottoman Empire in Greece. My International Trade class went in depth about tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers, which gave me an edge all on the business students in my Econ class. My intermediate Econ classes gave me a firm base on which I can understand a very confusing international economy which still abides by the same supply-demand graphs.

I say all this, not out of selfishness, but out of a pure pride of Presbyterian. I now proudly announce that I go to PC, a small liberal arts school in South Carolina. I believe in our education and the life experience that we gain more now than ever. It's so funny to think that over 2.5 years at PC, I didn't see it in a couple square acres of campus. It took me seven time zones and over 5000 miles away to realize that Presbyterian College creates more than just a college graduate--it molds its students into informed citizens, smart businesspeople, men and women of faith, and resident of an international world.

Thank you. In whatever capacity you help to mold PC and its student body--you deserve thanks. I know I would not be the scholar, socialite (that has been important, too!), or woman I am without Presbyterian. Sojourn on this semester and continue doing what you're doing. It works.

With Much Respect,

Ashley