NATCHITOCHES – Emma Cockrum began her college career under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that experience encouraged her and her classmates to be resilient in the face of obstacles. Cockrum graduated valedictorian at East Ascension High School in Prairieville in 2020 and was one of several student leaders from across the nation featured on NPR about their not-so-typical senior year. As a high-achieving high schooler, she was interested in attending college out of state but toured Northwestern State University at the encouragement of her grandmother, Glenda Carlile, a 1964 graduate of NSU.
Cockrum arrived at NSU and immediately got involved in campus life – as much as was available during the pandemic when social distancing and safety measures altered the format of many events. At the Louisiana Scholars’ College, the state’s only designated honors college, she pursued a degree in liberal arts with a concentration in humanities and social thought, tailoring her studies towards those compatible with a degree in English. After graduating with honors, she enrolled in NSU’s master’s program in English and will graduate in May 2025. While completing her graduate degree, Cockrum is working as a recruiter for the Scholars’ College, sharing the positive experiences she had as an undergraduate with prospective scholars.
She sat down with NSU to discuss her experience as a Scholars’ student, her work in recruiting and what comes next. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
NSU: COVID had a huge impact on you as a student. Can you talk about how it affected your transition from high school to college?
Emma: I did a lot in high school. I was a self-proclaimed over-achiever. I played sports, I was in all the clubs, I did well in the classroom. COVID being my senior year, I didn’t get to do a lot of the things I’d prepped for all through high school. COVID took things from me but also helped me going into college as well. I didn’t have the traditional freshman year of college experience. COVID, in a way, helped me to be really self-sufficient. I’m lucky that I work in a recruiting office now and I help freshmen transition into their college years and show them what Northwestern can offer them.
NSU: What are some things you’ve been involved in at NSU?
Emma: In undergraduate, I was very involved inside and outside the classroom. I was in multiple honor societies, Order of Omega, Alpha Lambda Delta, Forum Council at Scholars’, which is kind of like student council or SGA for Scholars’; Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority. I served in Demon VIP, Demon Mentor Network and I studied abroad my junior year, which was absolutely amazing.
NSU: Tell us about the study abroad experience.
Emma: I knew that I wanted to study abroad when I was in high school. I’ve always loved to travel. I love seeing the world, I love meeting new people, I love trying new food, experiencing new cultures. The study abroad program at Northwestern was a big reason that I chose [NSU]. I studied at the University of Toulons, which is in the southern part of France, a part of the world I’d never been to, but wanted to explore more. I went in the spring, in my last semester of undergraduate, so I came back the next fall and started graduate school. It was a very cool experience, to go over there and it be the last hoorah of my undergraduate experience. My professors were wonderful. It was such a different academic experience. It’s helped me in graduate school.
NSU: How did you learn to balance extracurriculars with academics?
Emma: Time management. It’s deciding what’s important to you. Going into college, I always heard you can’t have all three: You can’t have school, you can’t have a social life and you can’t have sleep. You’ve got to give up one. Probably at first I gave up sleep and probably still do a lot. I really jumped in headfirst my sophomore year when everything was wide open. At first it took me a second. There was a bit of a learning curve. Academics has always been essential to me. I had to decide what was important and when it came to extracurricular activities, I had to prioritize and that allowed me to be successful in and out of the classroom.
NSU: What drew you to the Louisiana Scholars’ College?
Emma: Definitely the academic rigor. I have always loved to learn. That’s probably the nerdiest thing ever, but I love learning. When I went to college I knew I wanted a program that was going to challenge me but also support me. Northwestern wasn’t on my radar until late in my senior year. I came up here on a tour of NSU and the Scholars’ College on a Saturday. My parents came with me and one of my professors, Dr. Betsey Cochran [professor of ecology and mathematics], met me here, gave up her Saturday to speak with me about Scholars’ and Northwestern. She told me all about the curriculum. Scholars’ is a liberal arts-style curriculum. All the professors are incredibly intelligent and continuing research in their fields. I knew they were going to give me academic curriculum that I wanted and was expecting out of a college but also showed that I wasn’t going to be alone in that.
NSU: As a recruiter, what is a typical week like for you?
Emma: It depends on the season. Right now, it’s a lot of time on the road. I visit at least one to two schools or college fairs a day. In fact, I’m leaving here in about an hour to head to the Baton Rouge and the New Orleans area. It’s a lot of time in schools meeting with counselors, meeting with students, whether at a college fair or a school visit. When I get back in the office, I’m answering emails or reaching out to students. We love writing hand-written notes and so do the wonderful faculty in the Scholars’ College. I’m answering students, I’m giving tours of the Scholars’ College. It’s one thing to go to their school and say, “My schools is great. You should come look at it.” If you can get them here for a tour it’s important to show them what you were talking about. Busy but fun.
NSU: Have you had any special mentors at NSU?
Emma: I definitely had some wonderful mentors in different aspects of my academic journey and outside of the classroom. Dr. Davina McClain [professor of Classics] in Scholars’ has my advisor since my freshman year and has helped me through countless academic experiences and personal experiences. I would probably not even be in college without her. Career-wise and personally, Van Erikson [director of Enrollment Management] has been a mentor to so many people on campus. He was my boss when I was a student worker in the Recruiting Office and he has mentored me from the time I was a freshman until now when he became my full-time boss last year. He’s helped me through a lot and has definitely been a role model.
NSU: After you get your master’s in English, do you think you might teach?
Emma: Maybe eventually. I’d like to try to write grants, whether that be for school districts or wherever I can get a job. I could work for the state or a school district or a bank. So much is grant-funded or grant-supplemented now. I’d like a couple of years to get the experience. It’s something that would be very helpful in whatever career I end up.
NSU: What do you do to unwind and refocus?
Emma: You’re going to expose me as the old soul that I am. I’m a big reader. Anytime I’m not working or doing school I’m probably reading a book.
NSU: What are you reading right now?
Emma: “The English Teacher” by Lily King. I also enjoy exercise. I played sports growing up and coming to college, one of my big transition pieces is that I wasn’t playing three sports anymore, so I had to find a new outlet. I love hiking. I love going to the gym. That’s definitely a new thing but it helps me unplug, get out of my apartment, get out of the library, wherever I am studying and helps me reset a little bit. Hanging out with my family and friends. I would not be where I am today without the wonderful support system I’ve had my entire life. My family is my rock. And the friends I’ve made her at Northwestern help bring me back to earth sometimes when I get so wrapped up in school and work and what comes next, my future. It can be hard to be present and my family and friends help me do that.
NSU: What do you say to prospective students considering Scholars’?
Emma: A particular sort of student is the one looking for Scholars’. This is meant to be a second home and the Scholars’ College for me and so many other students has been a safe haven, where I was able to receive the kind of academic experience I wanted but also the kind of support. Many students move far away from home to come to Northwestern and that can be a scary thing. Northwestern is great about being supportive and Scholars’ is just as much. When I’m recruiting students to be part of the Scholars’ College I seek those students that do want a higher academic experience, maybe a little more rigorous, maybe a little more challenging, but also looking for that support system. I tell them about how fun it is. College is fun, Scholars’ was fun, Northwestern is fun. It’s a wonderful place to go to school. It’s important to be very personal when you are recruiting. I get to say, “This is what Northwestern State and the Scholars’ College did for me and I know it can do the same for you.”
For information on touring northwestern State, visit https://www.nsula.edu/futurestudents/.
Information on the Louisiana Scholars’ College is available at https://www.nsula.edu/scholars/.
