The first installment in a series keeping up with one student per grade throughout the year, as each shares personal goals and expectations for their planned out semesters ahead

Julie Conlon

Student Life Editor

Eleanor Marshall, Freshman

If there ever was that picturesque, overly ambitious, blonde-haired, blue-eyed freshman girl, it’s Eleanor, or Ellie, Marshall.

Marshall is originally from Wales, U.K., but moved to Keene, N.H. at the age of seven. Just a month into her first year at Keene State College, Marshall has made a name for herself. She is vice president of her residential hall, Holloway Hall, and the new vice president for the freshman class. She’s also a member of the Student Activities Council. Oh, and she just joined KSC Women’s Rugby.

“I’ve never played rugby but I have the British blood, so hopefully I pick it up,” she joked.

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Joking aside, Marshall’s main focus while attending KSC is student government. Marshall explained, “I definitely want to be in student government all four years; that is 100 percent my plan. That’s practically what I came here for.”

Marshall stated she prefers the role of vice president because it allows her a vote in student assembly. Looking ahead, she said, “Hopefully, I can represent the freshman class and get what we need to get done, and what students want.”

Another mission on Marshall’s mind revolves around the idea of school spirit, or lack thereof. The freshman said she thinks the school is missing spirit and hopes to give it a boost.

She said, “I’d really like to try to boost school spirit which is why going with student government I think we can just try and get everything out there. That’s kind of my goal,” she explained.

For example, Marshall shared that she thinks the signage outside Spaulding Gym that gives game times and dates is too out of the way for most students to see.  “I think we should try and advertise it better,” she said. Marshall said she hopes to work with student government on getting some kind of advertising outside the Zorn Dining Commons, where athletic events and even theatre and music and on-campus events can be advertised and displayed. “I want to try to get everyone there,” she said.

Marshall said she plans to live life to the fullest, and of course, see her hard work pay off.  “I just want to make sure I stay active and try and get other people to stay active too. I don’t want to be one of those people who sit in my dorm room and doesn’t do anything,” she said.

Echoing what just about every college student in America has said in the last couple years, Marshall said, “I just need stay with my studies and pay off my loans.”

Look for Marshall on campus at basically any event—she’ll be there leading the cheers. Though maybe give her a few weeks to catch onto the game of rugby before you watch her play!

Matthew McDougal, Sophomore

Sophomore Matthew McDougal has come a long way since his first role as Winky in “The Wizard of Oz.”

The theatre and dance major, who attended Keene High School, is all over the KSC campus, beginning with the KSC Honors Program, which he was accepted into before stepping foot on campus. It doesn’t stop there. In his first year at KSC, McDougal was recommended to enter the Mentors for Violence Prevention program, and after training, is now a full-fledged member.
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In addition to these programs, McDougal involves himself with the Global Education Office after he spent time this past summer in a program that took him to Italy and Greece. “I will be doing programs with the GEO going to classes and presenting the study abroad experience,” he explained. “Students who’ve gone abroad and have returned have so much to share regarding their study abroad experience.”

Looking ahead, McDougal hopes to have the chance to leave Keene once again and explore the world. McDougal would like to go with his geography professor to Chile in January.

The most time consuming activity on his agenda? Theatre. Last year, as a freshman, McDougal had roles in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Rashomon.” This year you can find the sophomore in “I Am My Own Wife.”

Looking ahead outside of his theatre commitments, McDougal said he hopes to join in on Humans Vs. Zombies on campus. “It seems like a lot of fun. I’d love to maybe participate in that,” he said.

Other goals? McDougal said he’d like to see a street performance group formed on campus. “That’s something I might be thinking about for the future,” he said, commenting on the group, “It’s something I’d love to maybe pick up and fool around with. I would be totally interested in doing more things like that on campus. I’d love to experiment with other kinds of performance as well.” With so much on his plate and so much juggling above his head, McDougal said he remains calm and focused on the present.

“I just do what I can to get by from day to day, make some plans for the future, keep things on my radar,” he said, “My life is either rehearsals, meeting or homework it seems! But I love it. It works for me. I like taking everything in and letting everything do its thing and just doing my part among it.”

Beth Rosenberg, Junior

Junior Beth Rosenberg has a full-time job. Literally. Rosenberg is a residential assistant in a freshman dorm at KSC.

“It’s really time consuming. It takes up all my time–it’s live-in 24 hours a day,” she explained. “There’s always something. No matter what, even if there’s nothing scheduled. It’s definitely time consuming, but it’s a good time.” Any time Rosenberg spends outside of her R.A. position is dedicated to her demanding dual major, English and secondary education. Rosenberg said she is at the stage in her classes where she is teaching her own class. With this challenge comes several goals.
[singlepic id=1236 w=320 h=240 float=right]< “I definitely want to be more comfortable so when I get into the classroom it will be easier,” she said. “My comfort level will be higher. I want to use this time to learn to grow into myself, into my skin.” Another goal of Rosenberg’s lies outside the classroom and back in the residential halls. Rosenberg said she and a co-R.A. in Monadnock Hall are working with their residents to be as green as they can.  Rosenberg explained, “We’re really big on least resistance. We’re trying to have our kids leave the least impact they can on the environment. This semester we’re really big into recycling. We’re setting up a bunch of different systems in our building to kind of get everybody more involved and aware of what we’re doing.”  She spoke about how her residents are working to cut down on the energy they use in their rooms, such as turning lights and machines off when they’re not home. “We’re getting other people involved and getting more people excited, and they’re getting more people excited, so it’s like we’re feeding off each other,” Rosenberg said. She shared further of her goal to see her hall go greener and said, “Our biggest one is changing how our residents are doing things so other areas will see what we’re doing and pick it up. We’re already a pretty green campus anyway but trying to make it even more.”  She continued and said these efforts within her dorm and with her residents are something she hopes will catch on with other dorms on campus. Not only that, Rosenberg has set her sights beyond just the residential halls; campus buildings like the Zorn Dining Commons have sparked an interest for eco-conscious R.A. Rosenberg said, “We’ve talked to R.O.C.K.S and a couple places, but we’re trying something right now with the D.C.,” she said. “We’re trying to bring some changes—they are little but they’ll have a big impact, and that’s what we’re trying to do.” Look for Rosenberg’s efforts in the residential halls and soon, the D.C.!   Austin Harris, Senior

“Eat, sleep, swim, work. That’s my life. Not that fun,” he joked.

He’s a captain on the KSC Men’s Swim Team. He studies architecture and management and makes Dean’s List. He’s also working with a team of students on additions to the Technology, Design and Safety Center on campus. Living the dream? Not according to Harris.
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Rounding out his college experience at KSC, Harris leads the KSC Men’s Swim Team for a second year as captain, and this year, he’s set the bar high.

Harris explained the team has been to Nationals the last two seasons, and he plans on getting his boys there again, only this time, his sights are set strictly on making All-American. “I want top eight All-American in at least a couple of relays. That is my goal,” he continued, “The team’s goal is a little different—we want to go undefeated, and we want highest GPA again,” he said.

Harris said ending with last year’s successful season, the team broke into the college swim world.

Harris explained, “Our school is getting out there on the map. We’re [seventeenth] in the nation and that’s the highest the team’s ever been.”

Harris’s ambitious goals for his last year at KSC don’t end with swimming. He said he aims to continue to make Dean’s List and keep his 3.9 GPA and graduate Summa Cum Laude.

Harris, along with three other architecture students, is working with two professors with the firm that built the TDS building to not only finish the design, but to create “static and interactive” educational stations around the building, which Harris explained will teach the community and students about how it’s sustainable and what different materials and systems were used to build the center. Though it seems most of the hard work Harris has put in has paid off, he said the journey through his semesters has not been a breeze. On the idea of balancing a demanding swim schedule with his time-consuming major, Harris said, “I don’t know if I would do it again with swimming. It sucks when you don’t really get the recognition for it. It’s not hard work, it’s just tedious.”

Harris is currently building his portfolio as he looks ahead to graduation, when he plans to apply to graduate schools in Boston, Virginia, and San Francisco. Harris’s final goal: “Grad school, get my Master’s– work for a couple years and try to become an architect,” he said.

The journey Harris takes to round out his swim and academic career at KSC proves steep, but Harris, like the other three, show that with dedication and focus, goals can be mastered and dreams can be reached.

                    Julie Conlon can be contacted at

                                               jconlon@keene-equinox.com.