Aiden's perspective on the world broadened on Beloit's diverse campus. His passion for accessible mental health resources grew in his classes, 和 he hopes to purse a career in public health.

Growing up in the rural farming community of Sycamore, 伊利诺斯州, Aiden knew he wanted to attend a college with smaller class sizes.

“I wanted something small where I could feel like myself 和 where I didn’t feel like a number,艾登说。.

Diagnosed with autism at an early age, Aiden felt drawn towards the mental health field. 然而,, with the looming effects of the Covid-19 p和emic, Aiden was uncertain where 和 how to achieve his dreams. While he had a relative who attended Beloit through 2016, Aiden was not familiar with the campus culture 和 the college’s uniqueness.

“My mom 和 I were visiting colleges 和 went, ‘Why not!’ It was beautiful 和 you could just tell it was a welcoming environment. The second time that I visited 和 got the opportunity to speak to more students, I could just tell right away that it would be a great environment,他说.

“Beloit was actually the only school I wrote an essay for through all my college applications,艾登开玩笑说. “It was also definitely the one I had the strongest calling to.”

同时参加两项比赛的运动员 track 和 越野, Aiden prioritized supportive coaches 和 positive athletic environments in his college search.

“One of the biggest things going for Beloit was that I wanted to participate in a sport. I didn’t have the greatest relationship with my coach in high school, so I wanted to find someone to rely on 和 talk to,艾登说.

After years of track 和 越野 experience at Beloit, Aiden says that he’s found the athletics community he was looking for. “埃莉诺摇摇摆摆地走 definitely has been a great backbone for me 和 a great person to lean on 和 talk to. At times she feels more like a big sister. 布莱恩Bliese, my track head coach, feels like the gr和father who is full of wisdom. He’s very knowledgeable 和 kind,艾登说。.

For Aiden, Beloit’s diversity played a role in shaping his outlook on the world. “I didn’t see a lot of diversity growing up. 我想我来伯洛伊特的时候, I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about people from different backgrounds. That was a big culture shock, but also something that I was able to accept right away. I feel like my moral values have always just been treating people with respect 和 getting to know people,艾登说.

“I wanted to get to know people 和 know their stories. Beloit allowed me to meet people from across the road. Some of the best friends I’ve made are from different countries 和 we’re still in contact today. Beloit has a high diversity rating, 和 you meet people you’d never think you’d have the chance to meet, 和 they end up being your best friends. It allows you to see the world from different perspectives 和 allows you to have many different ways of thinking.”

A 心理学 主要, Aiden is passionate about accessible mental health resources, 和 plans to work within the field. “The people who helped me were heroes, 和 I want to be like that as well,” he stated. “I think in general, there’s a lack of mental health resources. 罗恩·沃森’s Intro to Public Health class really did open my eyes. I think that helped shape my perspective of what I wanted to do. You don’t really hear about a lot of accessible mental health clinics 和 resources, 甚至在伯洛伊特, [和] that’s something that we really need a lot more of.”

回顾, Aiden feels that he made the right decision in attending Beloit, 和 that it has helped him grow as both a student 和 individual. “I didn’t feel like another number in the classroom. I felt like I could be myself 和 grow into the person I wanted to be. I honestly don’t think, as many schools as there are, I could see myself anywhere else. I think Beloit is a special place to be.”