My Barrett Journey

(My freshman B-Town group...we were so tiny! :) )

Welcome back, Barrett Downtown students! We’ve all survived the first month of an early semester, so it’s all smooth sailing from here.

I’m Caroline Porter, a senior in the combined Bachelor/Master’s program in the Cronkite School and Barrett. It’s hard to believe that in December, I’ll finally be walking across that stage and receiving my diploma and what some of us downtown like to call our “Barrett bling.”

As I start my final two semesters at ASU, I find it interesting to reflect on what brought me to Barrett, and the Downtown campus in particular. During my senior year in high school, I learned about Barrett from my high school adviser, who said it would give me the “Ivy league education” that girls at my high school wanted (I went to Xavier, for any Phoenix locals...talk about competition!!). While my friends ran around in a frenzy applying to as many schools as possible, I focused my energies on putting together an amazing application for Barrett--I had my favorite teachers write my letters of recommendation, had my essay edited at least twice, and reviewed every part of the application over and over until I finally gave in and submitted it!

I initially thought of applying to as many schools as humanly possible, but when I heard about Barrett and looked at all it could offer me, I set my sights on the amazing combination of Barrett, ASU, and Cronkite. Not only did Barrett offer me the BA/MMC program, but in ASU Downtown and Cronkite, I was getting brand new, state of the art buildings and even getting the chance to live in a dorm room that no one else had been in before me!

(Showing my school spirit during Homecoming 2009)

I realize I was luckier than most of my friends in that I knew what I wanted to major in right away, but I initially had no idea where I wanted to go. I worried that staying Phoenix would mean being stuck living at home and missing out on opportunities for travel and experiencing a new place. Little did I know that living in Downtown Phoenix would provide more opportunities than I ever expected for culture, travel, arts, sports, and exploration of a new place. Barrett Downtown continues to grow in conjunction with Downtown Phoenix and we’ve gone from about 15 students in “B-Town,” our residential college, during my freshman year to about 80 students in “B-Town” this year and nearly 300 total Barrett Downtown students. We’ve moved from a small office to a larger suite with room for our adviser, student meetings, and the Human Event professors. More than that, we’ve expanded our community to include Barrett students at all campuses, some of the most vulnerable and needy in the downtown area, and a new group of freshmen and transfer students every year.

(Dustin Volz, Caroline Austerman, and me...we host a lot of fun events at Barrett Downtown, including a Black and White-themed Mocktail Mixer!)

I feel so lucky to have been a part of this wonderful, welcoming, ever-expanding community at Barrett Downtown. As Lead Honors Devil, I’m looking forward to welcoming yet another group of incoming freshmen this fall, and to making our new ASU/Barrett and transfer students feel welcome this spring. I hope everyone has a successful semester and a great 2012!