Britt Peyton is a first-year student from Norris City, Illinois, studying physiology.

Why did you choose SIU?
I chose SIU for a few reasons. The first reason is that SIU felt like home. I’ve grown up in southern Illinois, so SIU automatically felt like where I should be. Another reason is the research that happens at SIU. I started working as a research assistant in Dr. Gilbert’s Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory as a freshman, and I knew that SIU was one of the only universities that could give me that opportunity.

What would you tell a prospective student about SIU?
No matter what your major is or what your interests are, SIU has something for you. Whether you’re a business major who could be a part of the Saluki Student Investment Fund, or a pre-medicine student who could be in a research lab, or a forestry student who might work at SIU’s Touch of Nature, you can thrive in your major and pursue your interests.

What inspired you to choose your area of study?
I’m studying physiology in the hopes of going to medical school. What inspired me to choose this path and area of study was loving science and wanting to have a career that meant something to me. I know that going into medicine will be difficult, but the thought of working as a physician and helping people and continue learning new things throughout my life will be well worth it.

What is your most memorable experience at SIU?
So far, my most memorable experience has been making friends and the memories I’ve had with those people. I knew nobody when I first came to SIU. Seeing how welcoming and friendly everyone was here really helped me come out of my comfort zone and find the people that I now call my friends.

Have you received any scholarships as a student?
Yes, I received a few local scholarships my senior year of high school, as well as SIU’s Chancellor’s Scholarship.

What does the scholarship mean to you and how has it enabled you to pursue your goals?
The Chancellor’s Scholarship means the world to me. It has enabled me to completely focus on my classes and extracurricular activities instead of worrying how I’d pay for college. It’s also allowed me to put all of my local scholarships aside, which I’m also incredibly grateful for, and save them for medical school and maybe even studying abroad.

How has SIU inspired you?
SIU, most of all, has inspired me to be the very best I can be. Whether that be through professors who have encouraged me to take that extra class, or advisors who encouraged me to join a research lab as a freshman, or RSOs that have allowed me to be more involved on campus than I thought possible in my first year. Every aspect of my experience at SIU has taught me to push myself and that my experience here can be as great as I make it.

Why should someone consider donating to SIU?
Someone should donate to SIU because of the promise our students have. There are students here going overseas to help deliver medical supplies to countries that need them, students who are involved in life-changing research, and first generation college students graduating and making the world a better place. Donating to SIU would be helping these students, as well as many more students who are doing equally amazing things.

What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about SIU?
I brag most about all of the opportunities I’ve had, even just in my first year here. SIU had enough faith in me to award me a full-ride scholarship. I’m involved in an exceptional research lab as a first-year student, I get to be a part of bringing new students to SIU through being a Saluki Ambassador, and those are just a few examples of how SIU has given me more opportunities than I thought possible.

If you had $1,000 to donate to the SIU, what would you like to see that money benefit?
I would like to see that money benefit paid research assistant positions. It is my understanding that students used to get paid while working in a research lab, so I would love to see that come back. My main reason for that is because I, as well as other students, work in research labs and don’t have time to have paid jobs outside of class and research, so it would be extremely helpful to us if we could have both in one.

You can support SIU students during SIU Day of Giving on Wednesday, March 7, 2018: https://siuday.siu.edu/

Engage with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Rebecca Harris is a junior from Metamora, Illinois, studying pre-veterinary medicine.

Why did you choose SIU?
The biggest reason I chose SIU was because of the outstanding research opportunities and hands-on experience within the College of Agricultural Sciences. In my first semester of attending SIU, I was already volunteering to help with research on deer palatability studies and have since helped with nutrition research in cattle. I was also volunteering at the University Farms in my first semester. I now have a job with the beef and swine centers where there is always something for me to learn and further enrich my education outside of the classroom. SIU is well-rounded, in my opinion, from varying aspects: affordable costs (because of the numerous generous scholarships awarded), quality programs, and staff that actually care about their students.

What would you tell a prospective student about SIU?
Get involved! Your education is truly what you make of it and the opportunities are endless. There are so many clubs around campus to choose from that you are sure to find something you enjoy. In the process, you may find yourself making new friendships that will last a lifetime.

What inspired you to choose your area of study?
Since a young age, I have always known that pursuing a career in veterinary medicine was something I have wanted to do. I am extremely passionate about animals and love being able to help them.

What is your most memorable experience at SIU?
In my introduction to animal science lab, I got extra credit for sticking my arm into a cannulated cow without a glove on. This was pretty early on in my studies at SIU and not something I thought I would be doing for a class. The animal science classes have been really awesome and rewarding.

Have you received any scholarships as a student?
Yes. SIU Dean’s Scholarship D4, Harold and Nora Kuehn Animal Science Scholarship, and the Walter Wills Animal Science Scholarship.

What does the scholarship mean to you and how has it enabled you to pursue your goals?
The scholarships I have received have enabled me to pursue my dreams ultimately with minimal debt. I am so thankful to have been blessed with the scholarships I have gotten.

How has SIU inspired you?
SIU has inspired me to try things outside of my comfort zone. Last year when applying for summer internships, one of my biology lab teaching assistants recommended that I apply for jobs in wildlife conservation and so I did. This past summer, I worked for Idaho Fish and Game on a research project to gain wolf population estimates and now am extremely interested in wildlife and ranch veterinary medicine. This aspect of my career field is something I never really considered before attending SIU.

Why should someone consider donating to SIU?
Donors are what make many of the scholarships students receive possible and thus make obtaining an education easier! They also are what enable many of our opportunities (like funded research) to be possible.

What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about SIU?
For being in Illinois, you really do not feel like you are in Illinois. There are so many things to do outdoors from cliff jumping at Lake Kincaid, horseback riding at any of the local stables, or even just hiking and camping in the nearby national forests like Shawnee National Forest. Southern Illinois isn’t just a flat piece of land with corn and beans; there are rolling hills with forests and so much to explore. It is quite a nice change of scenery and the area in general has a small-town feel, which I prefer.

If you had $1,000 to donate to SIU, what would you like to see that money benefit?
If I had $1,000 to donate to SIU, I would like to the money go towards the beef and swine centers at the farms. There are many useful things the funds could go towards including updating facilities and equipment. The farms in my opinion are such a valuable learning aspect of SIU’s College of Agricultural Sciences that are underappreciated and sometimes even taken for granted.

You can support SIU students during SIU Day of Giving on Wednesday, March 7, 2018: https://siuday.siu.edu/

Engage with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Alejandro Narvaez-Colon is a junior from San Juan, Puerto Rico, studying computer science.

Why did you choose SIU?
With a deep passion for conducting research, I chose SIU because it is a top-tier research institution. I knew SIU would allow me to perform all the academic activities I wanted to take part in during my college career.

What would you tell a prospective student about SIU?
It is a very resourceful institution, and they should take advantage of all the opportunities they can manage to get.

What inspired you to choose your area of study?
When I was 13 years old, my father — a businessman providing services to gas stations around Puerto Rico — took me to his office to work together on the design of a point of sales software that would satisfy the general needs of gas station managers. As I observed him develop the software, I became fascinated by the magic of programming, where simple words serve as the building blocks to endless computer functionalities. Amazed by what I learned by my father’s side, I decided to learn how to code. Two years later, my dad’s software was fully developed, and I had taught myself how to program in Java. I promised my dad I would create a smartphone application that would accompany his software. With this commitment to programming, I chose computer science as my career path and am now in the process of becoming the software engineer I want to be. 

What is your most memorable experience at SIU?
For three months, my Chinese professor took an hour every single Monday, Wednesday and Friday in order to catch me up with what every other student had learned the previous semester. This helped me enormously, and if it weren’t for his kindness and dedication to my learning and understanding, I would not be where I am today. 

Have you received any scholarships as a student?
I have received the Dean’s Scholarship, Dr. Albert Somit’s Scholarship and the Minority Scholarship.

What does the scholarship mean to you and how has it enabled you to pursue your goals?
It has been an amazing help to be able to have that financial weight taken off my shoulders. Because of these scholarships, I have been able to spend less time working and more time studying, researching and contributing my time to SIU.

How has SIU inspired you?
The professional development opportunities I have had at SIU have inspired me to go after the things I want without fear of rejection, because if you work hard, you will get what you are after. Guaranteed.

Why should someone consider donating to SIU?
Donating to SIU would allow more students like me, who want to make the best out of their college education, to strive and not worry about financial limitations. I know too many people who are either drowning in debt from their student loans or that have had to drop out of SIU because they cannot afford their education.

What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about SIU?
The Saluki Student Investment Fund is the most amazing organization of which I have ever been a part. It is so nice to be managing an actual portfolio just like you would at an actual job.

You can support SIU students during SIU Day of Giving on Wednesday, March 7, 2018: https://siuday.siu.edu/

Engage with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.