Senior Circuit: Paige HallenPaige Hallen wasn’t really thinking about a quote-unquote smaller college to attend. After all, her high school in Lexington, S.C. was more than twice the size of Wofford. But four people mentioned Wofford to her in a 10-hour span, and the sheer coincidence caught her attention, so she checked it out.
“I thought it was worth a look,” she says. “I sat in on one of Dr. Carol Wilson's classes and was impressed with how she interacted with her students. It was so different from my other college visits. While meeting current students on campus visits, I discovered that they were here because this is where they wanted to be, not just because they were pressured into it or just looking for somewhere to kill four years. The people I passed on campus had a glow about them. I also liked Wofford's focus on leadership and its alumni network.”
She has assumed a leadership role herself as chair of Wofford's delegation to the South Carolina Student Legislature (a mock state government in Columbia). She has also participated in campus ministries, Kappa Alpha Theta, and the orchestra. She wrote for Old Gold and Black one semester and spent the spring of 2008 in Freiburg, Germany, studying the economics of the European Union. She also played the bass drum in the pep band when Wofford had one a few years ago.
If you think that’s a lot to do, check out her academics.
“I'm majoring in Government, minoring in Economics, and will complete concentrations in American Politics, World Politics, and Political Thought,” says Hallen. “I've known I'd major in Government since I was 16 and have never doubted that. I love it! But if someone had told me I would actually enjoy studying economics when I was in high school I would have laughed at them. I took an intro class only because I thought it'd be good for me as a government major, but then I sort of became fascinated with it!”
She hopes to capitol-ize on her multiple concentrations.
“God willing I'll be working in Washington, D.C. after graduation,” she says. “I've interned with my congressman, senator, and a special interest group on the Hill, so hopefully that will turn into something. Maybe some Wofford alum will see this and want to offer me a job! I really enjoy legislation and working with people so it's a perfect fit.”
The Wofford experience has reshaped Paige Hallen in ways she never expected.
“What I love most about this school are the people,” she says. “There's nothing like being somewhere and running into someone who went to Wofford or has a Wofford connection.
“I ran into a woman while wearing a Wofford shirt one day while at Publix in Lexington. She went on and on about how her husband had graduated from Wofford in the 1950's. I was in D.C. this summer and heard my name being yelled out. I turned around and saw a group of five recent alums all sitting together. I can't wait to be that person someday!”