Shealyn M. Sullivan, captain of the Lions Soccer Team and a two-time CACC champion, is also a head resident assistant on campus and a member of Women in Leadership Development. She recently took time out of her busy, busy schedule to talk about life as a GCU student.

Name: Shealyn Sullivan ’12
Age: 21
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Major: History with minors in Business Administration and Women's Studies
Achievements: Recently named Woman of the Year by the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

What brought you to Georgian Court?
I came to Georgian Court because of head soccer coach Jim Moore and because I value the tradition of mercy.

Why major in history?
I chose history because I enjoy learning to understand the broader picture of the past while analyzing the interconnectedness of life. I believe history has provided me with tools to succeed in any professional career.

Between your studies, practice and soccer matches, how do you balance it all?
I learned quickly that time is the new currency. Understanding that, I learned to schedule my time, hour by hour each day, to ensure my tasks would be accomplished.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about yourself?
I can accomplish anything I put my mind and heart to. It sounds cliche, but after being pushed through my academics, soccer, and Resident Assistant position, I've become confident in knowing my work will be finished well and on time.

How has attending GCU impacted your life?
GGU has provided me many opportunities to challenge myself and grow as a woman. The faculty, coaches, and staff have guided me and supported me through my college career. The impact these leaders have had on me is larger than each realizes and I will be forever thankful as I move toward my career.

Any advice for someone trying to decide on a college?
Don't just choose a college based on the status or reputation of an institution. Choose an school based upon the willingness of professors to aid in your education beyond the physical confines of the classroom. If you like your professors and your coaches, you will enjoy your college experience to the fullest.

Name: Mary Cherubini ’12
Hometown: Willingboro, NJ
Major: Art

Mary Cherubini spent the Fall 2011 semester at Florence University of the Arts where she took courses in Renaissance art, cross-cultural psychology, intermediate Italian, and social media. She is one of many Georgian Court students who recently participated in study abroad programs and GCU trips to Egypt, Italy, Spain, France, and Greece.

"It’s a learning experience that goes far beyond the classroom", says Mary, who kept in touch with her friends, family, and GCU instructors via Facebook, Twitter, and her blog at marycherubini.blogspot.com.

“Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our plan that we lack spontaneity. Living in Italy helped me to not necessarily go by the ‘plan,’ but to live for the moment and do what I feel.”

Read more about student experiences abroad in the Fall/Winter 2011 issue of GCU Magazine.

Name: Diana Ventimiglia '13
Hometown: Staten Island, NY
Major: Nursing

So what have you been up to?
We have a lot of projects and exams all coming up in the next two weeks and we are all studying nonstop for the Maternity/OB/Pediatrics HESI exam, which nursing students all over the country take. We are just working hard and pushing forward.

Why Georgian Court and why nursing?
It's important to me to do the kind of work that actually benefits other people," says Diana, "and I think that is time better spent.

Diana wants to be an oncology nurse, and will graduate from the B.S.N. program in the GCU-Meridian Health School of Nursing. The program, which is housed on the Lakewood campus of Georgian Court, prepares students for service-, health-, and science-related jobs while giving them access to the strengths and resources of Georgian Court.

"There are always surprises, every semester, in every class, in my journey to becoming a registered nurse," says Diana. "That's part of what keeps it challenging, and it keeps us on our toes."