Name: Alexis Souksavath
Hometown: Beaver Dam
Course of Study: I plan on majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry.
Why did you choose Edgewood College?
I chose Edgewood College because I like having a small class size to help me build a relationship with my professors and to ensure I understand the material being presented to me.
How has financial aid impacted your college experience?
Well, growing up I never had a lot of money, so I always aspired to do well enough in school, so hopefully someone would notice and help give financial aid by either scholarships, grants, or low interest loans. With the financial aid I have been given, I have been given the opportunity to even go to school.
Did receiving financial aid impact your decision to attend Edgewood College?
Yes, at other schools, I would not have been given as much financial aid as I have been given at Edgewood College. If I went to another school like a bigger university, I would have to pay at least twice as much as what I pay for here after all the financial aid. My dad has taken it upon himself to work double and even triple shifts to help me pay for my education already. Without the financial aid that I have received here, I would not be able to continue or even begin at a 4- year institution.
What will a college degree mean to you?
A college degree to me is the proof that I have beat the odds of what I should have grown up to do. Having so little money within the family with parents who’ve never gone to college before and being a minority, I have been told countless times that “college isn’t for everyone.” Receiving my college degree at the end of my experience here at Edgewood College would mean the absolute world to me, and I can’t afford for that to be taken away from me.
Have you learned something during college you didn’t expect?
College really has changed me and my way of thinking. In college I found a deeper compassion for human life and humanity as a whole. The capacity that one person can hold inside them is immense and mind blowing, so preserving it is very important to me. I have always wanted to go into the medical field, but in college I realized how important having diversity and passion in the medical field is. Taking certain classes exposed me to the medical field, and it has made me grow more fond of it due to what I know I am able to bring for the field as a whole.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan on going to either medical school or physical therapy school. Though I’m not sure which I want to do more, I have always wanted to be in the medical field and have always had the pull to help others.