Class of 2008 Salutatorian Happy at Yale
Contentment is an enjoyable feeling to experience and knowing you made the right decision is always nice, too. Shannon Connors, the salutatorian of Huntington High School’s Class of 2008 is quite happy with her college choice and is thriving in her first semester at Yale University.
“I adore Yale,” Ms. Connors said. “It's been a fantastic experience so far and it is without a doubt the perfect place for me. I am taking four classes this semester; Constitutional Law, Introduction to Political Philosophy, Freshman Colloquium: Literary Studies in Spanish, and New Haven and the American City. My professors are all incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, which makes going to class at nine in the morning four days a week worth it.”
Ms. Connors plans to major in political science with a concentration in international relations. She has also considered a possible second major in Spanish. At Huntington, she took full advantage of the enriched curriculum and course offerings as well as the extensive extra-curricular program. She is already doing the same thing at Yale.
“The nice thing about Yale is that we have a ‘shopping period’ during the first two weeks of class, in which we're allowed to try out whichever classes we like before we submit a finalized schedule,” Ms. Connors said. “I decided to ‘shop’ my New Haven and the American City class on a whim and now it's one of my favorite classes. It's about the political, social, and architectural histories of cities and urban planning. My Constitutional Law class is phenomenal too. The professor, Akhil Amar, is one of the pre-eminent Constitutional Law scholars in the country and he is the most engaging lecturer I have ever heard.”
Ms. Connors served as the co-editor of The Dispatch, Huntington’s student newspaper, among numerous other activities. She quickly gained the respect of Huntington’s teachers and was very highly regarded by her classmates as a scholar, leader and positive influence throughout four years of high school. At Yale, she fits right in on a campus filled with exceptionally bright young people.
“Beyond classes, I'm really enjoying the social and extracurricular atmosphere here,” Ms. Connors said. “I'm spending a good portion of my time with the Independent Party of the Yale Political Union, which is a debating society that discusses political and philosophical questions under the rules of parliamentary debate. It is extraordinarily entertaining, thought provoking, and fun, as it is also a social group. Some of my favorite times, though, are just going to the dining hall in my residential college (Trumbull) with my suitemates. It is so stunning here that I also love just walking around and seeing the gothic architecture everywhere.”
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