<html><head><title>Group Document - Collected Personal Statements</title></head><body style="max-width:468pt;background-color:#ffffff;padding:72pt 72pt 72pt 72pt"><p style="text-align:center;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:14pt">Combined Personal Statements</span></p><p style="text-align:center;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:14pt">CSC 125</span></p><p style="text-align:center;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:14pt">(Summer Online)</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Kayla Anderson</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Casey Barrett</span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Once upon a time--a time they called December of 1991--about three hundred miles north of I-75’s Georgia exit 163, nothing of particular importance happened in the grand scheme of things, but in my opinion, a Big Bang of the conscious-variety took place in Columbus, Ohio. For the next eighteen years, I stayed rooted in a suburban town called Dublin just north of Columbus, save for the occasional club soccer tournament in foreign states. As the only child in a three person family, my exploits in soccer often served as the main function for which the family got together. In this case, it also served as the means by which I came across Mercer University--or rather, if I may risk sounding arrogant, Mercer came across me. Looking to go to play Division I soccer in college, I played in tournaments across the nation, from the Disney Cup in Florida to the Las Vegas College Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada. I hadn’t heard of Mercer until the then-coach Grant Serafy emailed me in recruitment after a tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina. As an egotistical teenager, I usually didn’t reply to emails from schools that I had never heard of before, but as I was in a cheerily obliging mood that day, I replied to coach Serafy saying that I [was sure I] already had other offers lined up, but that things were subject to change, and if they did change, I would let him know. Well, like midwestern weather patterns, that all hit the fan, and I contacted coach Serafy and ventured down south for a visit. The promise of playing time and a different experience from the midwest--not to mention a friendly team and great academic environment--sold me, and I unofficially committed to Mercer University in January of my junior year. And the rest, as they should say, leads us to the present.</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">As with any overachieving high school brat, I came into college under the impression that I would graduate with a B.S. (whatever that was) in Biochemistry and going on to make lots and lots of money. That was a fun four weeks. It wasn’t until I came to terms with the true nature of my experience in an internship during my senior year in a microbiology lab that I realized that life would be miserable if I had to work in a solitary, sterile, and stoic laboratory for the rest of my life. So with that being decided, against the better judgement of my parents, I eventually settled on “majoring in uselessness with a side of common sense,” or, in more technical terms, majoring in Creative Writing and Psychology with a minor in Business Administration. While it’s hard to choose on one favorite class in the last four semesters, the closest two were Philosophy of Religion and Introduction to Literary Studies, mainly because the ideas we discussed were, to my late teenaged mind, revolutionary. I had never felt such a strong, singular mixture of accomplishment and stupidity when I would finally understand the concepts and consequences of the discussions we would have. It was like finally unmasking the villain at the end of Scooby Doo and understanding Velma’s explanation even though you already knew the basic </span><span style="font-style:italic;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">whodunnit</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">. On the other hand, my least favorite class was easily Macroeconomics because, with the same simile, it was like just as the villain was about to be unmasked, the picture would cut out and the show would suddenly broadcast to Russian. The concepts should have been so basic and comprehensible, but... well, I’ve never been good at word problems, so let’s leave it at that.</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Despite the earlier jab that I’m “majoring in uselessness,” I want to believe that I actually have found a reasonable way to make these degrees worth the time and effort. As a full time career, I’m looking into becoming a psychologist in the clinical and therapeutic setting hopefully working with patients with mental disorders such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personalities) and Schizophrenia. That being said, I’m taking CSC 125 as a supposed prerequisite to Accounting 204 as part of my Business Administration minor. While I feel fairly competent when it comes to using computers and various software, based on friends’ advice about Accounting 204 and my disdain for numbers, I figured it would probably be a good idea to get a jump on Accounting 204 by taking CSC 125, just in case. Even if not, I’m hoping CSC 125 will help me make better use of the computer for all that it can do, as right now I’m ashamed to admit it’s mostly an internet, word processing and music machine...</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;text-align:justify;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">As an introvert with a busy schedule, “fun and relaxation” usually means curling up with a book or video game in a quiet and calm environment during the school year, or a walk in park with my dog in the summertime. Most hours of the day I keep myself busy with a full schedule of classes and plenty of soccer in between. Especially in the fall, soccer can require 4 hours every day, not counting travel for away game weekends. Even so, I’ve tried to remain active in some organizations such as Phi Eta Sigma and Sigma Tau Delta. It doesn’t always work out, but it’s a great feeling when it does.</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;text-align:justify;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Through my interactions with others in soccer, I’ve been led to think that while everybody has their own story to star in and live out, we have to also realize that we are not the protagonists of our social circles, and that we play a vitally important role as a foil in the stories of others. I know it sounds overly dramatic to put it this way, but with a background in Creative Writing, it’s nearly inevitable. But at any rate, with my desire to become someone whose primary job is to listen to others, I feel that it supports the passion for supporting others through their life stories. After all, I think this idea was something into which I was inevitably led through the help of others, so I want to strive to, at the very least, pay this favor forward in some respect. The eventual goal of this way of thinking is to hopefully promote seeing others as individual stories not too different from our own so we can come to a better understanding of others around us.</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Janay Holland</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">My name is Terra Janay Holland, but I am more commonly known as Janay around campus. I was born in the small town of Carrollton, Georgia. Many people are familiar with my hometown simply because it is the home of the University of West Georgia College. I was born in a very close family. I was raised and lived with my grandparents all of my life, and I have two half-siblings on my father side. My grandparents had five children and eleven grandchildren. Although I do not know a lot about my birth mother, my grandmother has always been my role model. Two days after my eighteenth birthday, my grandfather suffered a heart attack. This was devastating, but I knew that I must make him happy by going to Mercer University which was his dream since I was in Middle school. I only applied to five colleges my senior year because</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">I knew Mercer was where I needed to go. I came do an overnight stay at Mercer and I fell in love with the campus and the classrooms immediately. If the scenery and classroom size was not enough to sell me on the idea of Mercer, the generous scholarship money definitely sold me, and I accepted the offer to attend Mercer the very next week. At this point I did not realize how great my college career would soon be.</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">When I arrived at Mercer I heard a lot about how Mercer students focus on changing the conditions of society. I did not know what that meant exactly until my sophomore year. I took a class titled Women and Society and realized that although America is known for being all about freedom, there is a lot of people who do not get to experience that in our country. I decided to make my major Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice and Women and Gender Studies</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">all along the Pre-Law track. From being on this track I was lucky enough to take Philosophy</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">and Law which was a class that centered upon looking at cases from moral, ethical, and legal standpoints. This class was my favorite because it showed me exactly how narrow minded America once was and the cases that made a difference. Although this class opened my mind, it also caused me to really dislike any class that involved discussions that only led to there being only one correct answer. However, my least favorite class would have to be my Spanish II class. I struggled in this class because not only do I have a spelling problem, my southern accent would always get in the way when I was doing presentations in Spanish. Although I truly disliked</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">this class I knew that not only did I need it for graduation, but my future plans would also be benefited by knowing Spanish.</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Being on the Pre-Law track has allowed me to explore various career options, but my true dream career is to be a defense attorney. I have always wanted to be known as a attorney with</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">a great record for helping those criminals that could have been railroaded by the justice system based off their physical features. I would preferably like to work with youth. This computer</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">class is extremely important because I also want to start a community center that helps these youth make smarter decisions before they are simply sent home or put on probation. I know</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">that in legal careers, a lot of the work load is done using computers and communication through computers is really important so I want to be very skilled in using many different programs involving my computer. With all these goals to maintain, it is hard for me to not become stressed.</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Although I am very focused on my future plans, I am still a college student who enjoys having fun. I enjoy listening to all types of music and shopping as much as my bank account allows. I enjoying shopping both online and in-store in search of brand new styles. I also enjoy working out and traveling. Lifting weights and running are among my favorite exercises, but I have slowly began to enjoy doing Yoga. I am currently a Resident Assistant and a cheerleader at Mercer so most of my time involves being friendly and listening to others. Although all these tasks take some type of effort, these are the hobbies I enjoy and help me relax throughout the academic year. The only other hobby I enjoy that often results in more stress in watching CNN cases on missing children.</span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Since I was in high school I have always felt passionately about finding missing children or finding homes for abandoned children. The process that occurs with missing children always hurts me because these children, if found, rarely receive much counseling unless their parents provide a therapist. My career as an attorney for the youth will be helpful because I will make sure that the children who slip into legal troubles for attention will be given that attention in the community center I plan on creating. I believe that everything I am apart of helps promote my cause of letting these children know that there is always someone who is willing to listen to them and help them if possible. My studies with Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Women and Gender Studies will help me gain knowledge on not only how to deal with these children, but also solutions on how to help them remain safe as well as others around them. Lastly, I think my leisure activities are so vast that it will allow me to try to relate to children from many different backgrounds, sexes, genders, races, and social classes. </span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Samuel Johnson</span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">I am Samuel Johnson. I am originally from Guinea, West Africa, but I have been a permanent resident of the United States for about eight years. I was however born in Liberia, also in West Africa. I have a twin brother and two sisters who live in Atlanta. I was a soccer player in my high school and got a soccer scholarship to attend Mercer, that’s how I ended up here.</span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">I have three majors and a minor. My majors are Political Science, International Affairs and French. Women and Gender Studies is my minor, but I am hoping to turn it into a major since I am about done with the classes required. My favorite classes have always been my French classes because I am very fluent in it. My least favorite class was “Middle East Politics”. I ended up withdrawing from that class because I found it very difficult.</span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">I hope to work with a refugee resettlement agency in Atlanta when I’m done with school. This agency helps provide homes for families affected by wars in Africa. I believe this course will endow me with the technological skills I would need in my activities. Computers are being used everywhere nowadays, and knowing how to use them is very essential in the job market.</span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;text-align:justify;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">I love soccer a lot and play it almost everyday with my friends. Aside soccer, I like hanging out with my friends. I also enjoy watching soccer as well. I am part of the African Students’ Association on campus and contribute as much as I can. On weekend nights, I like going out to relax.</span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;height:11pt;text-align:justify;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><p style="text-indent:36pt;text-align:justify;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">One thing I am passionate about is soccer. I really wish I could get the chance to be a professional soccer player. I know I am good at it, but I try to work harder and train to be extremely good at it. My next career choice like I mentioned earlier is to work with the refugee resettlement agency to help resettle refugees and establish them in new environments, away from wars. I am concerned with this because where I was born, Liberia, was affected immensely by two civil wars. Studying Political Science and International Affairs will go a long way to endow me with the skills and knowledge I need. A French major will also enhance my language skills.</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Stefanus Labuschagne</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Amanda Ray</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Emma Rhodes</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Joseph Sappington</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Edward Thorne</span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="height:11pt;color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold"></span></p><p style="color:#000000;direction:ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-family:"Arial";padding:0"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold">Briana Williams</span></p></body></html>