Hilary Tredinnick - her own words:

Shena and I got to know each other when we met through mutual friends. We were both RAs and eventually joined the same sorority. I love hanging out with her because she's very funny and we can both be goofy around each other.

Shena's very outgoing and friendly. She loves to have a good time, but she's also really good at planning out her time. She works really hard, and she's a great leader.

Whenever we get the chance, we catch up over lunch. People-watching in the commons while we eat is a lot of fun. Other times we'll just hang out and do whatever: go to the mall, go out to dinner or to Mac & Bob's.

Courtney Faudree - her own words:

I first met Shena when I was joining the sorority. She's my big sister. Ever since then, we've tried to get together whenever we can, mostly it's either for dinner or lunch. With us, it's usually around food or dancing. We love both. But we did also go to New Orleans together at the end of winter break for a hurricane relief trip.

My favorite thing about Shena is that she doesn't take anything from anyone. She has a very strong faith and you can see it in her everyday life. She'll definitely stand up for her beliefs. Plus, Shena's really involved around school. She crosses a lot of boundaries so that she can get the most out of her time at Roanoke.

Shena Sanchez - her own words:

I chose Roanoke because I got a really good feeling about the campus when I visited. An admissions counselor led my tour. He knew everybody and it didn't seem superficial. Then I spoke to the Director of the Multicultural Office, and I was impressed with the efforts the school was making to diversify. Not just racially or religiously, but through all the different programs that are available to join.

When I first came to college, it wasn't easy. I was missing home, but it wasn't because I was lonely. It's not that I didn't have any friends, it's just that the ones I did have didn't know yet who I really was. Over the course of four years here, we've all built up our relationships and now I don't want to leave them. They've helped me get through everything, and I've learned a lot from them because the friends I've made are from all over the place.

I also like how approachable the professors are and how open they are to you just coming in. But the thing is that you have to be able to have that relationship because of how challenging the classes are. You have to work with the professors to do really well. Socially, I like the fact that the school is so close knit that I can join a bunch of different organizations and feel welcome wherever I go.

Joanna Hertzog - her own words:

I like the fact that I've been able to take on so many leadership roles here. I don't think it would have been possible for me to do that at a really big school. As managing editor for The Roanoke Review, I've been able to learn up close what it takes not only to publish a literary magazine, but also to get published in one. Professor Handstedt has played a big role in my education here, both inside and outside the classroom. His door is always open, whether I have a question about school, The Review, or I just want his perspective on something.

As I get close to graduation, I'm finding that I have a lot of possibilities, and it's all because I took advantage of the opportunities I was given here. I've done an independent study. I spent a summer working with a pastor who reached out to emergency room patients in an inner-city hospital. But I've also joined a sorority and found friends I never thought I'd make. Roanoke College has opened a lot of doors for me. Probably one of the biggest things I've learned here is to try new things outside my comfort zone and see what comes of them.

My plan has always been to go into the ministry. I probalby still will, but I think I need to go out and get some real world experience first.

Dr. Hanstedt - his own words:

I've known Joanna since her first day on campus. I was her advisor, and now she works with me to help publish The Roanoke Review. I don't think I've ever said this about any of my other students, but Joanna has been a huge influence in my life. Her hard work and character constantly renew my faith in humanity.

I've been thoroughly impressed with Joanna at every stage of her college career. Her maturity and focus are big reasons for that. They're also the reasons why I asked her to serve as the managing editor of The Roanoke Review. I knew she had the ability to spot great writing, and the guts to ask writers to revise their submissions.

Joanna has shown an interest in many things during her time at Roanoke, but what I like about her is the fact that she's never changed her sense of who she is. She's remained true to her ideals. Most students talk about all the places they want to go and the things they want to own after college. Joanna's not driven by the material aspects of ambission. She has goals, but they center around helping others any way she can.

Dr. Larry Lynch - his own words:

This class was the brainchild of a student doing an independent study. I worked with Mark Gobble '87, who's a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch, to establish the outline of the class. Then we presented the idea to the Roanoke Board of Trustees. Obviously, they saw the value in this kind of a class and it got going in January of 2004.

We thought using real money was better than hypothetical investing because it gives the students a true sense of gains and losses. When it's all pretend, students take outrageous risks without fear of consequences, here we can't do that. Basically, I make sure that the class follows the guidelines. Sometimes I'll lecture on a topic I think the class can benefit from, but really they're the ones leading the class.

I am very pleased with the performance of the fund. The students have outperformed the benchmark (S&P 500 and Lehman Brothers Bond Index), but more importantly, they are learning about the real world of investing. As in other areas of the business curriculum at Roanoke College, the real-world applications of this class stay with the students for a long time.

Andy Gleason - his own words:

Managing a student-run investment fund is the chance of a lifetime. This is my third year taking the class and I felt like I had gained to experience to run for fund manager. I'm the main manager, and then we have one person in charge of each of the nine sectors in the S&P 500 with anywhere from 15-30 stocks in each sector. Their job is to watch those stocks so we can try to be in the best ones in each area. Different students make pitches for buying or selling a particular stock and the class discusses the situation before deciding what to do.

I've gotten a lot from this class. Way beyond learning about investments. The leadership opportunity alone has been worth it, not to mention the fact that I'm comfortable talking in front of a group of people now. The key has been that we're working with real money. None of my friends at other schools have gotten a chance to do anything like this.

Jake Bennett - his own words:

I chose Roanoke College because I wanted a school that would let me work closely with my teachers and do research. Plus, I was awarded the Bittle Scholarship that paid my full tuition. I definitely think I made the right decision coming here because I have personal relationships with my teachers. I've been to their houses and gone out to eat with them. They're completely open to questions and always willing to help out with new ideas for research.

I'm double majoring in Physics and Mathematics. And this fall, I'm starting grad school at Indiana University, where I'll join a research team studying high-energy particle physics. Dr. Bala's influence over the last couple years will be important as I go forward. She's the one who taught me to always dig deeper into research material. In grad school, the burden falls more on the student in terms of getting the research done, and I feel like Dr. Bala has prepared me for that.

I also have many other friends outside of the physics department. They've been really important to me during my time here at Roanoke. I find balance when I hang out with them. Whether we're getting together for an observation with the astronomy club, or just having a conversation about life, I've definitely got great memories that I'll keep forever.

Dr. Balasubramanian - her own words:

Jake started working with me a couple of summers ago. He is very bright and his logical reasoning and math abilities are excellent. He can work through problems quite easily, which made it easy to work with him in a research environment. His primary area of research with me was to grow nano-crystals. He researched on journal articles, set up the experiments, and carried out the synthesis of nano-crystals. I gave him tips and suggestions as he progressed through the stages of research, but the work was his.

I always appreciated the fact that Jake was available at any time to help out in the lab, whether we had tests to run or we just had to move stuff around. He is full of initiative and never hesitated to do extra work as part of a research assignment, and he never missed a deadline. Jake has a sense of his priorities and I think that will benefit him as he moves on to graduate school. He is well organized and tackles the high-priority issues first.

As a professor, I love it when my students' curiosity carries them beyond class and inspires them to continue learning. I would find articles or breaking news in field of nanotechnology that I thought would be interesting for him to read about, he would come back to me with a couple more of his own. We would have great discussions about it and for me, that's the best thing about being a professor here at Roanoke College. It allows me to interact closely with students, be it in classroom or in my research lab.