Senior Circuit: Kathryn Hall
Kathryn Hall grew up just 45 minutes from Wofford, but it wasn’t until a visit from Brand Stille (vice president of enrollment) to her Greenville, S.C., high school that she really gave it a second thought. In fact, she’d never even been to Spartanburg.
“Mr. Stille spoke with my AP English class about how to write an effective college admissions essay,” recalls Hall. “After his visit, I decided to consider applying to Wofford. I was impressed by the amount of individual attention that Wofford’s faculty and staff gave to their students.
“I believe that Wofford provides a unique academic environment. The small class sizes, the mutual respect that both faculty and students share with each other, and the beauty of the campus and arboretum are just a few of the reasons why I chose Wofford College.”
Hall has been actively involved in her time here. She is currently a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, the Secretary of the Greek honors society, Order of Omega, and an event coordinator for the Fine Arts department. In the past she has participated in Wofford’s Community of Scholars program, the student art group Picasso, and she was a residential peer mentor for Wofford’s Freshman Year Interface program. And she has been busy academically, too.
“I am an art history major with a minor in business,” she says. “As a freshman, I originally thought I would be a finance major, but then I took an art history related humanities course called ‘The Lives of Artists’ with Dr. Karen Goodchild.
“During my first semester, I became heavily interested in art history and I took two additional art history courses my second semester. At first, I was hesitant to switch majors because I was unsure of the various vocations available for art history majors. However, I went with my passion with the additional encouragement of the art history department and I made the change. Since then, I have been encountered many unforeseen opportunities, such as an internship with the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, N.C., over Interim, studying abroad in Rome last spring, and my participation in Wofford’s Community of Scholars program.”
Hall’s post-Wofford future is near. She says she is ready.
“After college, I plan to pursue a master’s degree in art history,” she said. “Then I would like take a few extra courses in chemistry so I can apply to a program in art conservation. While studying abroad in Rome, I took a beginner’s level course on art conservation and I immediately developed an interest in the field. I am fascinated by the advancements of modern technology in art conservation and I believe it is important to preserve artworks and artifacts for future generations.”
Rome had a big impact on her. It’s one of her favorite Wofford memories, in fact.
“As part of my experience as a participant in Wofford’s Community of Scholars program, I met Dr. (Peter) Schmunk, my art history professor, Dr. (G.R.) Davis, and Dr. (Dave) Whisnant in Rome for six days before they traveled to Mt. Athos, Greece,” says Hall. “It was a great experience to be able to tour the city with my Wofford professors and to be able to show them what I had learned while studying abroad in Rome. In addition, Dr. Schmunk and I traveled around the outskirts of Rome conducting research on contemporary Catholic architecture for my research project. I believe it was an experience that only Wofford College could offer.”