5月11日, 2018年:阿曼达·萨耶格(发音为“sage”), Marist was not always at the top of her list of colleges to attend. Having grown up just a few miles away in Lagrangeville, she wasn’t sure she wanted to attend school so close to home. But her mom insisted that she at least attend the College’s Open House for Accepted Students, and that visit ended up convincing Amanda that Marist was for her. Sayegh说:“我很感激妈妈让我去的. 我找到了这样一个好, welcoming atmosphere at Marist that felt different from other schools, 和我交谈过的老师们都很棒. 也, 新的科学大楼正在建造中, 还有一个私人助理项目的计划, 所以感觉很好.”

三年后, Sayegh is the valedictorian of Marist’s Class of 2018, a recognition of her distinctive academic achievements as an undergraduate. 伊丽莎白, 生物医学科学 主要的, is graduating a year early because of the 33 college credits she brought to Marist with her, a result of both AP courses at Our Lady of Lourdes High School and classes taken at Dutchess Community College. “我不得不在bet亚洲365欢迎投注大学加倍修科学课程, but my dad is so happy that I saved him a year of tuition,”她说。.

Sayegh has always had a strong interest in anatomy and physiology, 所以生物医学对她来说是一个很自然的选择. “上课从来不会让人觉得是一件苦差事, and they prepared me for my goal of working in healthcare,她说. “[Assistant Professor of Biology] Paula Checchi was a big influence on me. Her class was the most difficult one I took at Marist, but it was also my favorite. My skill levels really increased over the course of the semester, 我学到了很多实验室技术.” Sayegh went on to serve as Professor Checchi’s teaching assistant, further developing her competencies and earning kudos. 博士说. Checchi, “Amanda is that student that professors love to see on their course roster at the beginning of the semester – the rare mix of intellect, 能源,开车, and humility that we (as faculty) all imagined our classrooms would be full of when we first decided to pursue teaching. 她可能会说我帮了她, 但她让我成为了一个更好的教育者, one who is proud to have chosen a career as a teacher-scholarat a liberal arts college.”

实习及社区支援

在她的圣母生涯中, Sayegh has amassed significant experience working with patients in a healthcare setting. 在夏天和休息的时候, she worked as a unit aide at a nursing home in nearby Fishkill, and she also volunteered at a surgery center in Cornwall. 在后者, she had the opportunity to help the nurses with post-operative care and observe surgery. Sayegh also earned college credit for her work in the Mid-Hudson Medical Center emergency room, an internship arranged for her by Lecturer of Biology Amy Cahill. 最后, she gained additional training at the BioSkills Lab in New York City, learning to suture and practicing surgery using cadavers. 补充她的实践经验, Sayegh参与了, 一个专业的, 男女同校前健康兄弟会.

不过，萨耶格在bet亚洲365欢迎投注的日子也不全是工作. 尽管日程安排很紧, she found time to participate in Campus Ministry’s annual community service day and was an active member of the Red Ink Art Club, which organizes weekend art projects as a way for students to socialize and relieve stress. Says Sayegh, “Marist is such a close-knit community that it feels smaller than it actually is. I can go up to anyone on campus and introduce myself or ask a question; it’s so open and welcoming, 这是独一无二的. 我将永远带着这份友情.” In 2016, the Marist community stepped up to lend its support when Sayegh lost her close friend Courtney Fisher ’19. “The College organized a beautiful memorial service for Courtney, and the Cabaret was packed. I was so touched that all of these people who didn’t even know her took time out of their day to attend.”

所有家庭成员 

Interestingly, both Marist and success run in the Sayegh family. 她父亲的堂兄是这所学院的校友, as are her brother Michael ’14 and her cousin Samantha ’16. 她的表弟大卫现在是圣母学院的新生, while her cousin Kevin will join the Class of 2022 this fall. The family has done extremely well after college: her father’s cousin is a doctor, 迈克尔这个月就要从医学院毕业了, 萨曼莎目前正在上法学院.  

继续这种学术卓越的传统, Sayegh plans to obtain a graduate degree in Physician Assistant studies. 家庭对她来说极其重要, so she’ll likely pursue her career in healthcare right here in the Hudson River Valley. Sayegh唯一的遗憾? That because of her heavy course load, she didn’t have the opportunity to study abroad. 然而, the Marist ethos of service to others has clearly rubbed off on her, because her goal is to do an international service trip to Haiti or another country in which people lack access to medical care. 就像萨耶格为自己设定的其他目标一样, 没有理由相信她不会成功.