Learning Commons Spotlight: Tabitha Dey

The Learning Commons is starting a new monthly award that features students we work with who have shown greatness in academic excellence, social leadership, peer development, and/or community engagement. These students are nominated and selected by the Learning Commons team. They are interviewed and receive a gift card to the Kohawk Shop! Stay tuned to learn more about this month's recipient: Tabitha Dey!  

Academic Success Story

“My academic success story is changing my major. I helped myself with that by getting the help I needed," Tabitha exclaimed. When she first came to Coe, she planned to major in biology and neuroscience to become a neurosurgeon. However, when she took the class Organismal & Ecological Biology, she began to struggle, so she took the initiative to reach out for help by visiting the Learning Common's Biology Support Specialist Spencer Stout. He said, "She has since studied with me every single week and has applied so many new skills/study habitats to not only pass her biology classes, but excel!” 

After reflecting on her plans and goals, Tabitha ultimately realized that majoring in biology and neuroscience wasn't the right path for her, so she changed her major to nursing. Tabitha reflected, "Even though the class was difficult, it ended up turning me in the direction that I wanted." She has discovered a new passion and is very happy with her nursing major! After college, she currently plans to work for a few years then go back to school to get her master's and become a nurse practitioner.

Campus and Community Engagement

In addition to being involved in various Coe sponsored events, Tabitha is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta and currently serves in a leadership role as VP Chapter Wellness. With this organization, she has participated in volunteer work such as volunteering with HACAP. Additionally, Tabitha works at Mercy Medical Center and has engaged in various charity events with them such as a cancer walk. 

Advice

“I didn’t want to get help, but then I learned if I do get help, I have a better chance of succeeding," Tabitha exclaimed while reflecting on what has helped her succeed at Coe. She gave this advice to other Coe students:

• Take advantage of the free academic resources here at Coe such as tutoring and SI sessions.
• Get to know your professors and ask questions. Since Coe is small, it's a lot easier to build relationships with your professors and get one-on-one help if you need it. 

Reflecting on the advice she would give herself, Tabitha said, "Don’t procrastinate, go with my gut feeling, and do what’s going to make me happy in the end." She definitely seems to be following her own advice as she's pursuing her new path in nursing. As Tabitha said, “It was a big shock to me when I first decided that I didn’t want to be a doctor, but now thinking back on it, this is probably one of the best decisions I’ve made.”