Maureen Jackson

Four years seem to have passed in an instant. It took some time to get adjusted, but it was not long before I considered Lafayette a home away from home. I grew up primarily in Japan, so coming to college was a brand new experience for me. I was “international” in some ways, but not fully. Not only was I on my own for the first time, but I was halfway around the world from my family.

I came to Lafayette with an undeclared major, uncertain what I might want to pursue. During first semester of my sophomore year, I took Vector Spaces, a math course that I was told would be a big deciding factor in whether I wanted to be a math major or not. The class was taught by Professor Derek Smith, whose passion for math inspired me to be passionate about math as well. I knew I wanted to major in math, and my excitement has only increased since. The math department is full of great professors who have played a big role in making college the awesome experience it has been for me. I spend much of my time in Pardee Hall and have grown very fond of it as my academic home.

I have been interested in teaching for as long as I can remember and once I declared math as my major I decided I would like to teach secondary math. At that point, it might have made sense to transfer to make getting certified easier, but I love Lafayette so much that before that thought had even occurred to me, I had rejected it. I was able to take four education classes at Lafayette, two of which included a field experience component. I taught a lesson a week in an eighth grade math class, which was my first real exposure in the classroom. This experience enabled me to pursue the opportunity to work for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. I was a teaching assistant in a math class, an experience that for two consecutive summers has been very rewarding and invaluable in gaining further experience.

The Lafayette Christian Fellowship has helped shape my experience in many ways. I have been challenged and encouraged, and have grown in my faith. God has opened my eyes through the people He has placed in my life, to greater see who He is and how that should impact my life. Though I have experienced various difficulties throughout my years here, I have also experienced great joy, in large part due to the great fellowship I have had.

I am realizing just how attached I am to the people and the place of Lafayette. I have had the most amazing experience and so many precious memories. Nothing will ever be the same as these four years. The things I have learned go far beyond the textbooks and lecture notes. God has blessed me with awesome friends whom I have come to love so dearly over the years and taught me so much about life, including that I still have much to learn.