STUDENT STORY

“It’s definitely a transition coming to Ferris State University from Detroit. It’s a lot smaller, and in Big Rapids, you can get to just about everywhere in 10 minutes. When I came here, my major was pre-pharmacy, and now I’m majoring in actuarial science. There is career counseling here at Ferris, and I was able to sit down with an advisor who asked me questions and helped me figure out what I wanted to do.

During career counseling, I was able to talk about the things I wanted to do with my major. I learned that I can work in finance, I can work in business, or insurance – and it’s a career with high demand. I felt like nothing could go wrong because there will always be a need for actuarial science.

I was surprised by all the support I received coming to college. You think that you’ll have to figure everything out on your own, but in reality, when I came to Ferris there were so many resources for everything I could possibly need. There’s tutoring and career counseling, and I quickly learned that I was not alone.

My experiences in the math department have been unique, because there are only 50 of us total. In my major, there’s about 25 of us. It’s very small, and I’m able to have a close relationship with all my professors. If I’m struggling in class, or late to class, they notice. They will pull me aside and they care enough to ask questions and make sure I’m doing what I need to do to be successful. I have really benefited from that extra push I’ve received here in the math department.

I’m involved with a lot of things on campus, but I spend the majority of my time being the president of the Student Parent Association. I have a six-year-old daughter, and as president, I bring events on campus that are family friendly where everyone can get involved and make parents on campus feel like they are not outsiders.

In addition, I’m the treasurer of Omicron Delta Kappa, which is the National Leadership Honors Society. We do a lot of work with leadership, so we host events that are geared towards making students aware of how they can build leadership skills and encourage them to attend leadership conferences. It’s been great because it’s a very collaborative and encouraging environment.”

(Anzhane, Actuarial Science, Ferris State University)