What does it take to be a top scholar at Lynchburg College? Post-it notes.
Senior Leslie Harris has a lot to juggle. She's a member of the Westover Honors Program majoring in elementary education with two minors - psychology and special education. She is a supervising tutor in the Wilmer Writing Center, overseeing scheduling and payroll for student tutors in addition to devoting 10 hours a week to tutoring her fellow students on the finer points of grammar and writing. She devotes a lot of time to her sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma, serving as vice president for the newest sorority at LC. She has been named the Sommerville Scholar, the highest award given by Lynchburg College in recognition of the culmination of a distinguished academic record over the previous three years of study.
The secret, she says, is writing down all her commitments every morning. "It's hard," Leslie acknowledges. "If I didn't have Post-it notes, I would not survive."
She's also an intern for Shawn Arnold, helping students with disabilities. She co-teaches a study skills class for freshmen with disabilities. "Leslie has been an excellent intern," Arnold says. "She is always prepared, professional, and has a unique way of 'connecting' with students when interacting with them or making a presentation. She also possesses that rarified trait of asking, 'What can I do now?' Leslie has been a delightful addition to the Academic and Career Services family and represents the best of the best here at LC."
Leslie plans to go to graduate school to pursue a master's in counseling. She said she might like to teach or even work in higher education, but her interest lies in special education. She enjoys helping students overcome disabilities, especially students who might not have pursued higher education without support services. "It's great that more and more students are able to enroll in college," she said.
A native of Gretna, Virginia, Leslie grew up coming to Lynchburg because it was the closest shopping hub for her family. Now she's thrilled to attend school at Lynchburg College, where the professors and students are warm and friendly. "It's small enough to be really personal," she said.
As a member of the Westover Honors Program, Leslie says there's no lack of focus. Westover Fellows follow a core of honors courses in humanities, mathematics, social science, fine arts and science. The honors curriculum replaces most of the college's general education requirements. Among that very competitive group, Leslie has a GPA of 3.969 and ranks first.
Leslie is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi (a national honor society for the top 5 percent of the junior class and 10 percent of the senior class), Phi Eta Sigma (a national freshman honor society for the top 10 percent of the freshman class), Psi Chi (honor society in the field of psychology), Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership honor society), Kappa Delta Pi (honor society in the field of education), and the Order of Omega Honor Societies (national leadership honor society for Greek members). She has a Post-it note for each one.