Oregon GEAR UP

Name: Savannah M. G. Martin
Hometown: Springfield, OR
High School: Springfield Senior High School
College/University: Dartmouth College
Year in school: Sophomore, or as we say '13.
Major: Anthropology/Psychology double major
Activities involved in on campus: Sexual Abuse Peer Advisors, Sexual Health Peer Advisors, Skateboard Club, Kappa Delta National Sorority, Native Americans at Dartmouth, many more!

What/who was the biggest influence on your decision to go to college?
I just knew that I wouldn't get far or anywhere close to where I wanted to go without a college education. I also recognized that college was a different learning opportunity than anything I'd had before.

What is one of the best things about college?
It's really a place for people who love to learn, and you get to learn what you want. I don't have to take classes about physics or biology if I don't want to, but I'm also exposed to all sorts of new knowledge that I've never encountered before. I'm learning about Slavic Folklore this term, for example.

What was your most memorable GEAR UP moment?
Attending the National GEAR UP Conference as the Oregon Representative in San Francisco in 2007.

What are your future career plans?
I hope to become a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but my interest in biological anthropology may lead me to become a forensic anthropologist (like the show Bones!).

What advice do you have for students currently in middle and high school GEAR UP programs?
The hardest thing about education is actually getting your work done. But that's what you have to do to succeed. I love all of my classes, but sometimes it's hard to feel motivated to do the reading, even if it's about a subject I really like. That fact in itself is something I studied last term in my Introduction to Psychology course!