Derrick Hornbaker ’23, staff writer
As we swiftly approach the end of the academic year and a whole group of seniors prepares to say farewell to LVC, we should take time to reflect on those who’ve been with us throughout our journeys.
For each student of LVC, an academic advisor is a guiding presence in the chaos that is college life. From helping freshman plan their semesters and grow accustomed to their surroundings to ferrying seniors off to the next stage of their lives, it’s fair to say many would be lost without them.
With many of their advisees graduating in the next month, one such advisor reflects on the feeling that comes with each graduating class.
“Watching students flourish and take their next steps beyond LVC is one of the best parts of being a professor” Holly Wendt, director of English and creative writing at LVC, said. “I get to witness students discover new passions and possibilities and combine them in ambitious and thrilling ways and sometimes even surprise themselves with their successes both while they’re hear and after they’ve graduated.”
Dr. Wendt is a beloved figure in the English and creative writing programs at LVC, serving as a professor, an advisor, and a general reassuring presence for many students.
“As an advisor and as someone who teaches multiple classes in creative writing and English, I have the privilege to see each student’s growth and artistic and intellectual development” Wendt said.
As of the Fall 2023 semester, Wendt will have been teaching at the college level for 20 years. Even still, the excitement for meeting a new group of advisees is still as present as ever.
“It’s such a treat to get to meet the incoming students” Wendt said. “My advisees tend to be people who are interested in creativity and the power of a good story, so we already have a lot to talk about. I also look forward to learning about new things from my incoming advisees; the field of creative writing is a vibrant and changing one, and students help me to connect with new writers and artists all the time.”
One can’t help but admire Dr. Wendt’s dedication to their students.