Shannon Watkins
Hometown: West Grove, Pa.
Majors: History and Anthropology
Year in School: Freshman
Favorite Book: A Woman’s Europe edited by Marybeth Bond
What Shannon loves about UHC
The sense of community in the honors housing made me feel welcome upon arrival, and now I live with all of my best friends.
About Shannon
I came to Pitt in the fall of 2005. Since I’ve been here, I have fallen in love with this place. I live in the freshman honors housing, and most of my strongest relationships have been formed within the community. The resident assistants are great, and the honors college did a great job in matching roommates. I am surrounded by talented people that each bring something individual and special to the scene. The honors college has shaped my life at Pitt and made my experience more positive.
On campus I am involved in two choral groups. I have the honor of singing with Sounds of Pleasure (SOP), the only all-female a cappella group on campus. We are currently a student-run group of 15 girls from all different backgrounds and majors and sing a variety of popular music. Singing my arrangement with SOP was one of the most exciting things this year for me. The other group that I sing with is the Women’s Choral Ensemble, the University’s all-female choir of about 45 women. I am so blessed to continue to have music in my life, and these two groups are amazingly fun.
The accessible professors and interesting courses augment my Pitt experience. First semester I took a variety of classes in an attempt to find what I wanted to do. Across the board I had amazing professors who were always willing to help. Whether it was going to office hours for Honors Calculus or Spanish or having my Scene Design professor help me with my blueprints, the faculty proved supportive and helpful.
This semester my favorite classes are my history courses. While in my Biblical Age class, my lecturer announced a talk by a professor from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. There was an opportunity to help at the professor’s archaeological dig in Israel. After the lecture I spoke with Dr. Tappy and this summer I should be joining him in Israel for a five-week field school! The amazing opportunities that both the school and the city of Pittsburgh offer are available for anyone willing to find them.