After asking the world about the arts, the answer Fernando Gomez ’11 got was “St. Lawrence.” When trying to decide which colleges to apply to, the Bronx, NY, native and 2007 DeWitt Clinton High School graduate e-mailed people in various arts programs across the country to find out more, and was most surprised by the handwritten letter he received from Assistant Professor of Fine Arts Amy Hauber.  “I got some e-mails back and some people sent me brochures, but Dr. Hauber’s letter answered my questions and told me about St. Lawrence’s program, and I was amazed that she would take the time to write a prospective student,” he says.  “That really showed me what St. Lawrence was about.”

When Fernando arrived on campus as a first-year student, it didn’t take him long to engage in activities: Academic Honor Council, Dance Ensemble, working in the Brush Art Gallery.  A Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) student, Fernando’s accomplishments in his first two years earned him the program’s Outstanding First-Year and Outstanding Sophomore awards, respectively.  He was also accepted into St. Lawrence’s prestigious national leadership honorary, Omicron Delta Kappa, which also named him Sophomore of the Year, one of the highest honors for any member of his class.

While his list of accolades is extensive, he most values the role a professor on campus asked him to take on.  “Professor [and Chair of Psychology] Tom Greene asked me to serve as Student Shepherd of the Arts,” Fernando, a fine arts major, says.  He’s a student voice in facilities planning on campus, including the artworks in Johnson Hall of Science, as well as the renovations of the current art facilities.

“I enjoy it because it gives me a sense of responsibility and a serious purpose,” he says. “I’m making a difference and feel I’m making an impact on the University.  In 20 years, I can come back and say, ‘I had a say in how that building is today.’”