Ask a Student

Calena Neal, a first-year civil engineering student, got a jump-start this summer on her college career by participating in Emerging Ethnic Engineers (E3) Summer Bridge Program, a seven-week, residential program for under-represented freshman students. Students spend their days taking classes in calculus, chemistry, English, and physics, as well as attending mandatory, daily study sessions.

Through participation in this program, Calena became a frequent library user and says, “It feels like home.” Learning and working together, Calena and the members of her learning community met regularly in Langsam Library. They worked in pairs on their English composition paper comparing the beliefs and philosophies of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King. For this assignment, Calena’s preference of library sources was books.

When asked about her first impression of Langsam Library, Calena responded: “It’s big. A lot of spaces to explore! I just wanted to shoot up and down the stairs and look at every book title.” Calena’s enthusiastic response is not too much of a surprise considering she worked in her high school library at Walnut Hills in Cincinnati.

When asked what tip she has for first-year students she replied, “No matter where you are, always ask questions. Don’t be afraid!” We encourage all students to follow Calena Neal’s advice and stop by any one of the 10 University Libraries and “Ask Us About…”

To read more about the philosophies of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, check out these books via the Library Catalog:

• Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience (1849).” The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace. Introduction
  by Howard Zinn. Boston, Mass: Beacon Press, 2002.
• King, Martin Luther. “I Have a Dream.” Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches. Edited by Josh
  Gottheimer; foreword by Bill Clinton; afterword by Mary Frances Berry. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2003.

Source Index