Make Way for the Class of 2012

By Dave Pond

Logan Dawson was one of 4,700 freshmen who filled NC State's academic halls for the first time this semester. But even before classes began, it was readily apparent that the students who make up the class of 2012 already reflected NC State's "Red Means Go" mentality, and can only help strengthen the traditions and legacy that previous classes have built on campus.

"On behalf of everyone at NC State – and I mean this sincerely – we want you to be successful," Chancellor James L. Oblinger told members of the freshman class who gathered Monday night for the university's annual convocation event. "There were approximately 18,000 applications for the 4,700 seats that you are sitting in. It was the highest number of applications for any institution in our system, right here at NC State.

"You are 4,700 of the best students this state, this country and this world have to offer, and we're very pleased that you are here."

We sat down with several incoming freshmen to find out why they chose NC State, and how their life's vision can become reality at North Carolina's largest university, an institution designed to equip them with the skills, talents and education they'll need to succeed.

This is by no means an arbitrary selection of the best of the best, but more of a random sample – with more than 120 high-school valedictorians or salutatorians and a wealth of students who are already modeling NC State's dedication to diversity, achievement and a desire to bring the future into the present throughout their communities. NC State is proud to welcome all of its new students into the Wolfpack family.

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The desire to predict the seemingly unpredictable has led Logan Dawson from Birmingham, Ala., to Raleigh and NC State.

"I've wanted to be a meteorologist since the second grade," he said. "Weather has always been something that I have been interested in. I kind of started out being afraid of tornadoes as a young child, but once I started learning about it, I overcame that fear and it has since been something I've loved for a long time."

During high school, Dawson was always on the go, dividing his time between his studies and the school's varsity swim team, robotics and science clubs, in addition to off-campus activities like the Boy Scouts and volunteering at a local science center. Dawson was a National Achievement Award semifinalist, and to no one's surprise, the 2008 Park Scholarship recipient said he's looking forward to jumping in where he can to give himself a well-rounded university experience.

"I really want to get involved with some service activities here on campus. I'm doing Service NC State this Saturday, and want to do an alternative spring break project next semester as well," he said. "There are so many things to do here at NC State, I'm just blown away by the possibilities."

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When he weighed the nation's top engineering programs against each other, Jack Brandon wanted the most bang for his buck. Brandon found what he was looking for at NC State's College of Engineering, a widely respected program on a large campus that offered a number of extracurricular activities.

"NC State was highly ranked, right up there with Duke, MIT, Georgia Tech and others that would have cost three times as much for me to attend," he said. "At the end, I didn't apply elsewhere; I kind of put all my eggs in one basket and hoped for the best."

Brandon unofficially joined the Wolfpack family this summer at a pair of weeklong engineering camps, where he got to know some of his soon-to-be classmates. A high achiever in high school, Brandon was one of a select group of students chosen to blog throughout the upcoming academic year on the university's admissions Web site, to share his first-year experiences with prospective students.

"I'm really excited to try a lot of things that may or may not be related to my engineering coursework and meet people who are interested in the same types of things," he said. "It's important to me to get a good education but have a life as well, and that's what NC State offers its students. It's the reason I'm here."

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As a 6-foot, 2-inch outside hitter playing volleyball at the nation's highest collegiate level, Isis Gardner can hit and jump with the best of them. But it was the beauty of NC State's campus and the College of Veterinary Medicine that helped lured her to Raleigh from Kileen, Texas.

Gardner was her team's offensive player of the year as a senior after moving to the outside hitter position, and NC State volleyball coach Charita J. Stubbs looks for Gardner to become a force in the team's offensive attack.

"I am excited to have someone of Isis' athleticism in our program," Stubbs said. "While she has only had one year as a true outside hitter, she will come in and provide some depth to that position. I am definitely excited about what she will have to offer."

Gardner arrived on campus during NC State's second summer session, giving her time to acclimate to Raleigh's climate as well as university life. An outstanding student – she had taken college classes since her sophomore year of high school – Gardner said she enjoyed her first on-campus university courses as well as her professors.

"North Carolina is beautiful. I love all the trees and the great weather," she said. "I think I made the right decision to come to NC State. I love the environment here, as well as my teammates and coaches. It was definitely the right choice for me."

Links

• Wolfpack Welcome Week

• Park Scholarship