It is also in the interest of the nation, the state, and the individual to have an intense program for gifted scholars who wish to maximize the depth and breadth of their education. Each university should, by this criterion, have a Scholars’ College, and Northwestern State University of Louisiana is to be commended for its leadership role. I would suggest that Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and their ilk take a good look at what’s going on in Natchitoches.

At Scholars’ I learned that communication skills and independent thinking are the key to success in any occupation. The curriculum at Scholars’ reinforced this through the thesis project and many courses that encouraged independent critical analysis. If I had attended another university and simply pursued a biology degree, my perspective in medical school would be very narrow. The medical school curriculum does not allow much time or opportunity for literary or cultural education; however, the curriculum at Scholars’ trained me to seek out these opportunities on my own.

Scholars’ was a very intense and intimidating experience. As a freshman, I doubted that I was capable of completing such a rigorous curriculum. However, Scholars’ (as promised) provided me not only with the necessary knowledge and skills that prepared me for law school, but more importantly the confidence to believe in myself, my knowledge, and my potential.