Meet the Centennial Dukes

Louise Fiori, secretary

Louise Fiori, Centennial Dukes secretary

An introduction

My name is Louise Fiori, and I am from Newark, Del., right near the University of Delaware. I have two older brothers, both of whom attend the University of Delaware. Throughout high school, I ran track and cross-country; and in my senior year, I was captain of both teams. I also volunteered in my local hospital’s dental clinic starting in my junior year. I am a biology major with a concentration in pre-dentistry. I am also thinking about minoring in either psychology or Italian, both of which I found extremely interesting in high school.

My hometown

My hometown of Newark is similar to that of Harrisonburg. It is a college town and therefore caters to college students. The one feature I like most about Newark is the fact that it is a suburb, so it is not too crowded; yet at the same time it is only about 45 minutes away from Philadelphia.

An obsession with teeth

The one aspect that everyone knows about me is that I have a very unusual obsession with teeth, which is why I want to be a pediatric dentist. I know that seems very odd, but for as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a dentist. One of my main reasons is that I think a person’s confidence has a lot to do with the way they feel about themselves physically, especially their facial features. I feel that if I can help just one child become more confident about their smile, then I will have attained a personal goal in life —- to help children become more confident and increase their self-esteem.

Why I chose JMU

Choosing to come to JMU was one of the most important decisions I’ve ever made. I always wanted to go to college in the South, as long as it wasn’t too far away from home. After applying to JMU, I was wait-listed; therefore I was planning to go to Temple University in Philadelphia. I did not receive my acceptance letter to JMU until late April. As a result, after believing that I was going to attend Temple, I felt as though I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I did not know which school to choose. Temple had so many characteristics that I loved: it is in the city with a ton of culture, a great dental school with an amazing science department, and I liked the campus. But when I visited JMU, I fell in love with the campus. It seemed like the all-American campus with students hanging out on the Quad. I was able to visualize myself at JMU. Ultimately, I chose JMU because it was a safer campus, and I felt that it had a stronger biology department and better reputation than Temple.

Intimidating and exciting

Coming to JMU was definitely intimidating and exciting all at the same time. I was leaving all of my friends back home; none of them were in colleges even remotely close to me. I knew no one when I walked into my dorm on Freshman Move-In Day.

New freedom, new responsibilities

Everyone in my dorm was very welcoming and sweet. Everyone was trying to meet everyone else, so it was not hard finding people who I could get along with and create close friendships with. Throughout this year, I have matured a great deal. Living for the first time away from my parents was definitely a reality check. I couldn’t just ask them for money to go to the movies or for a bite to eat. On the other hand, my new freedom was welcomed. No more curfews, no explaining why I was up all night doing a paper, and just the fact that I only had to answer to myself and no one else. It certainly took some getting used to.

Getting the word out about Centennial Dukes

This year with Centennial Dukes I am most concerned with getting the word out about our club. One of the biggest challenges in starting a new club is getting members to join. Our last meeting had a good turnout; however for next year, I hope that the officers can publicize enough for a great deal of students to join.

My goals for the Centennial Dukes

My personal goals as secretary of Centennial Dukes is to work closely with Lauren and Kirsten, to inform the rest of the campus, not just the Centennial class, of what we are planning for the coming years. I hope to do this not only through mass e-mails, but also through posting our meeting minutes on the Centennial Dukes Web site. This will allow our classmates to share our ideas and hopefully allow them to e-mail me with their ideas.

Let’s see what the Centennial Dukes can accomplish!

Contact Louise at fiorilm@jmu.edu.