Linda Patterson AC ’18
After my children started school, I wanted to pursue my education. A friend who was a Smith alumna told me about the Ada Comstock Scholars Program. From then on, I knew this is where I wanted to be.
I have always loved everything about plants, so I thought biology made sense as a major. But when I got here, there were so many things to choose from! I took a poetry seminar my first semester, and an intensive writing course called “Writing About Home.” I have returned to biological sciences as a major, and am taking the poetry concentration.
My two daughters (ages 12 and 14) and I live on campus during the week, and return to Winchendon on weekends. The girls have adjusted well to school here, and I’m happy with the opportunities Northampton offers them. I am close to other Adas who have children, and we try to help each other out with errands. I run my business, The Eclectic Institute of Aromatherapy and Herbal Studies, on weekends. Keeping up with that, plus my kids, makes finding time to study a real challenge. Time is always a factor. It helps that my professors are supportive. Somehow I manage to juggle it all.
“Being here has stretched my limits. Smith’s Praxis program, for example, makes internship experiences that would normally be out of reach actually possible.”
I’ve taken full advantage of the many resources Smith offers. I use the Jacobson Center for help with papers, the Spinelli Center for tutoring in biology. Some things that traditional-aged students wouldn’t think twice about are hard for me, like computers. I panicked when we were asked to create a blog for my environmental biology class. I had no idea how to do that. Luckily, I discovered the computer center in Burton Hall offers technology tutoring.
Being here has stretched my limits. Smith’s Praxis program, for example, makes internship experiences that would normally be out of reach actually possible. I hope to go to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London for an internship next year; another possibility is a horticulture internship at the Smithsonian. Even with all the challenges, I know how fortunate I am to be here. I am living my dream.
