Meet the Centennial Dukes

Kaitlin Zura, scrapbook committee chair

Kaitlin Zura, Centennial Dukes Scrapbook Committee chair

Anticipating the Madison Experience

My name is Kaitlin Zura, and I am a psychology major from Essex Junction, Vt. Coming from a close-knit family that lives hundreds of miles away, I was both terrified and excited in anticipation of coming to James Madison.

First impression of JMU

My initial decision to come to JMU was completely based on how I felt when I walked on the campus. After a long and tiring college search with my father, late in my junior year of high school, my experience when I arrived at JMU was refreshing. Despite the pouring rain, and questionable odor in the air, I found myself in a comfortable environment.

Getting involved

As I toured the campus, I knew that I had to be a part of it. The spirit seemed as personal as a small high school combined with the power of thousands of great people. I came from a high school where I was involved in everything from student government to a peer helper program. But on this huge campus, I was intimidated to get involved right away. I started by getting involved in the Hillside Community Council for my residence hall, but I was still looking for more.

Making a contribution with Centennial Dukes

When I heard about Centennial Dukes, I knew that it was perfect for me. I went to a meeting with the intention of helping the club meet its full potential. Since I love being creative and I’m excited about the idea of documenting our four years here, I decided to run for the Centennial Dukes Scrapbook Committee chair office. I want to help our club as much as possible in order to make a physical contribution to JMU from the Centennial Dukes.

A scrapbook for each of our four years

My hope is to get contributions for our scrapbooks from as many members of the Class of 2008 as possible. I want to create four multi-dimensional scrapbooks that capture the spirit and pride that I first experienced on my summer visit here. There will be one scrapbook for each of our four years at Madison. Please get involved and help us create the best scrapbooks that we can.

Everyone knows that college can be the best years of your life, and I want our next four years to be the best years in the life of James Madison University!

Contact Kaitlin at zuraki@jmu.edu.