Meet Reynolds Honors Student
Meghan Clancy
Really. Meet Meghan now. While she is still at Reynolds. She
is someone you want to know. And as fast as she is moving in life, when she
graduates in the Spring of 2018 you may not be able to catch up with her. She
will be gone.
Here is the kind of person Meghan is: to get over her fear
of heights she went sky diving. She used her new found confidence during a
summer service learning trip out west with Richmond Public Middle Schoolers. On
a cliff diving adventure in Sedona, Arizona she literally talked a frightened student
off a ledge, encouraging her to “jump” because she explained to the terrified
girl, “If you can do this, you can do ANYTHING in your life.” She held her hand
and they jumped.
These days Meghan is too busy to be afraid of anything. In
January she will return to the floor of the Virginia General Assembly for her
second internship. This year she will be helping to process amendments and will
witness lawmaking up close and personal. This position is a perfect fit for
Meghan: her goal is to become a Constitutional lawyer.
In addition to her internship, Meghan has a work study in
the Reynolds Career, and Transfer Center. She is a student ambassador, a member
of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, a volunteer for the American Civil Liberties Union,
and Hands on Richmond, and a student representative on the Reynolds Honors
Steering Committee.
Where does her schooling fit in? “I am really motivated to
get through my studies. All of my classes are at night after a full day at work.
Most of them are Honors classes. And I do most of my homework on the weekends
so I can come prepared to engage with the class lectures. I am okay missing an
event or spending time with my friends in order to study a little harder and
work toward an A. I have an end-goal in mind and don’t want to put it off.”
Meghan sailed through her high school gifted classes in
Portland, Maine. But, when it came to college she put on the brakes. She
thought a four-year school was her only option, but when she looked at the cost
she got sticker shock. She was even more afraid of going into debt than she was
of heights. Plus, she didn’t know what she wanted to do. So she went to work.
Life events brought Meghan to Richmond. Curiosity brought
her to the Reynolds website. She read about the Honors Program, she read about
transfer options, she calculated the cost, and she registered. The rest, as
they as, is history. “The Reynolds Honors Program has given me the space to
find out who I am and what I want to do. I have been able to explore fields of
interest I might not have gotten to explore, and in the process I have set my
goals and am on my way.” And Meghan has not looked back.
“One of my greatest challenges has been to accept that not
everything I work for is easy to get. Some subjects, like biology, are hard for
me. I have had to learn to ask the right questions to succeed. Now, when faced
with tough material I ask myself: “How can I be better at this? How can I learn
this?” It’s a whole new way of thinking.” Critical thinking like this is the
first pillar of the Reynolds Honors Program.
When asked about a fun personal fact Meghan would want
others to know about her, she shared this: “I was a Maine State Champion in
softball (catcher and shortstop) and cheerleading, and I have visited 32 state
capitols.”
Really. Meet Meghan now, while you have the opportunity.
Anyone who has visited 32 state capitols and has interned for the Virginia
General Assembly has some stories to tell.
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