Riley Sinclair grew up down the street from the Fort Bragg Army base in Fayetteville, NC. A Sophomore Biology major with a minor in Creative Writing, she plans to be a Veterinarian, and hopes to specialize in either companion or exotic animals. Riley works as a Student Ambassador in the Admissions Office and she knows her experience there will help her reach her career goals. She said, “Because I plan on owning my own clinic, it gives me really good insight into what goes on in an office. It’s also fun meeting new students.”
Her first impression of Brevard College was during a Scholarship Day event where a Student Ambassador showed Riley and her mom around campus. She said, “It was surprisingly fun. My mom and I are fast walkers and happily she was too, so we would stall to wait for the group to catch up and she explained all the features of campus.”
Riley’s intent to pursue a Creative Writing minor came from the realization that she enjoyed crafting backstories in her spare time as part of an online role playing group. She said, “I’m an only child so most of the time I was bored watching TV and eventually I found role playing, which is actually Creative Writing because I created a different story for each character – it’s just more fun to write a diverse story.” Admitting that she struggles with grammar, Riley was surprised that one of her favorite classes so far was Dr. Hammond’s grammar class. She said, “Dr. Hammond makes grammar so clear, no one else has ever been able to get me to understand it before.”
For Riley, the community is what makes campus special. Since attending Brevard College was the first time she’d been away from home, she values the friendships she’s made with other students, particularly a group of friends she plays cards with in the common area of their residence hall. She enjoys visiting the shops downtown, especially Penny Lane and Kilwins, where her preferred flavor is cake batter.
Having decided in middle school to become a veterinarian, her vision for the office she will one day own is to combine a regular clinic with an animal shelter, divided into separate floors, with grooming services and dog day care. She used to volunteer at a clinic near her home, eventually reaching a skill level where they allowed her to prepare for and observe surgeries. This type of hands-on experience coincides with the educational philosophy of Brevard College, one of the things that attracted her to the liberal arts college. Riley said, “I like the experiential learning at BC because some things I can listen to and get, but some things I have to do. That experiential education component is what drew me to Brevard College – you see what you actually know instead of just taking a test.”