by Howard W. Hewitt
With two parents holding doctorate degrees in biochemistry and his father teaching at Purdue, it might be reasonable to assume Steven Rhodes ’07 was destined to become a Boilermaker.
But the West Lafayette native had reservations about the quality of interaction he’d get on the Purdue campus.
"It came down to a choice between Purdue and Wabash," the slender sophomore explains. "In the end it would have been cheaper to go to Purdue, but in terms of academics, and the fact the classes were smaller and you could actually get to know your professors, that was the thing that really tipped me over to Wabash."
One
visit and Rhodes felt right at home. "I wanted to continue what I had in high
school," he said. "I felt like I had a mentoring relationship with some of my
teachers and I really wanted to have the same experience in college. That’s why
I chose Wabash."
Rhodes distinguished himself in a short period of time. He did research with Chemistry Professor Lon Porter between his freshman and sophomore years. He also won honors as the top orator in the 2004 Moot Court competition.
"The questions posed by the judges are really what make the process neat," Rhodes said of the experience. "You almost get in sort of a discussion type setting that really helps you examine an issue. I think you come to a much better understanding of an issue by discussing it rather than simply having two opposing sides stand up and give a speech."
Rhodes was in involved in debate at West Lafayette High School and parliamentary debate on campus. But the variety of experience is what Rhodes shares with family and friends when discussing Wabash.
"Working with Professor Porter was a great experience. He gave me a chance to actually do hands-on science. It wasn’t just washing glassware. At some other institutions it could have been that way, especially considering it was my first time doing it. It’s hard to get a really good quality experience at the undergraduate level, but Wabash was able to provide that."
That summer experience has had a profound effect on the Wolcott Hall resident.
"When I came to Wabash I never expected that I’d be interested in research. I always thought I’d go to medical school and just be a doctor. But now the more I do research, the more interested I get. So I might try to shift to a M.D.Ph.D.
If the challenging academic load wasn’t enough, Rhodes also works as a math tutor; he’s helping organize a new science journal for Wabash students, and tries to get to the Allen Center on a regular basis to work out.
"I think Wabash has exceeded all my expectations, to be quite honest," Rhodes said. "It never ceases to amaze me the amount of opportunities here at Wabash. Yes, it is a small school but there it’s just incredible the amount of opportunities there are to get involved in research, Moot Court, and join organizations."
Hewitt is Wabash College's Director of New Media/Web Content Editor.