Caroline McCartney is getting a taste of a little bit of everything at the University of Richmond in Virginia where the Huntington High School Class of 2016 member is a freshman..
“Richmond is great so far,” Ms. McCartney said. “For a small school, there are so many great opportunities to get involved in nearly anything you could think of. There’s never a time on campus where there’s nothing to do.”
Recognized as a Distinguished Senior last spring after compiling a minimum 90 academic grade average during every semester of high school, Ms. McCartney is a fine student and she’s off to a strong start in her opening weeks of college.
“The professors here are amazing and the classes are small, so it’s really easy to get close to professors,” Ms. McCartney said. “I’m currently taking multivariate calculus, macroeconomics, the history of health in America for a history general education requirement and a first year seminar class.”
Ms. McCartney is keeping very busy on the Richmond campus. That’s the way she likes it. She volunteered with the Huntington Community First Aid Squad, participated in the high school club program and played sports for the Blue Devils and now she’s determined to have the same full experience in college.
“Outside of class I’m employed in the academic skills center on campus as a calculus and microeconomics tutor and I’m a member of a club called Richmond Rowdies, which is a group with the goal of enhancing school spirit at athletic events,” Ms. McCartney said. “I’m also in the process of starting a triathlon club at school and training to be a group exercise class instructor for the spring semester.”
Before she left for college, Ms. McCartney was starting to make a name for her in the Long Island triathlon community. Huntington High School physical education Jamie Fishlow, himself an accomplished triathlete encouraged her and provided training and competition advice. She has picked up at Richmond where she left off at Huntington.
“Last Sunday I competed in the Richmond Rox triathlon sprint distance,” Ms. McCartney said. “At the race I saw athletes from other schools such as North Caroloina, Georgetown and James Madison. I competed against the females from those schools in my division. I was definitely nervous going into the race because the course was structured a little different with a long swim to bike transition and it was the first time I’d be there without Mr. Fishlow, but I was able to stay in contact with him for pre-race tips. It was a really nice course and I felt pretty good throughout its entirety. My run was slower than I would’ve hoped, but I ended up placing first in my division and eighth among all females.”
As she goes about her daily life at the University of Richmond, Ms. McCartney continues to utilize many things she learned in and out of the classroom at Huntington. She has enjoyed the first month of college and expects to get even more active in life on campus moving forward.
