“I got this internship in an area I have never been in and I learned more about the hospitality field. I also realized every company has a different structure and sometimes the structure works, and sometimes it doesn’t. It all depends on how the employees and guests are treated. While interning I was able to determine what work environment I like to be in as well as meet other people who share common interests with me.”

“At Pine Lake, I met the woman who became my wife. Fifteen years later, in 1987, we found ourselves back at Pine Lake, moving into the little manager’s house with our three children. For over thirty years, I have had the privilege of caring for Pine Lake.”

“Long ago, I first encountered Wendell Berry at a talk he gave at Hartwick. Wendell Berry says it best: ‘Outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders; we see that the miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread.’ Wendell also said, ‘No matter how much one may love the world as a whole, one can live fully in it only by living responsibly in some small part of it. Where we live and who we live with define the terms of our relationship to the world and to humanity.'”

Brianna particularly liked the way the political science courses at Hartwick were structured to promote discussion and active participation. In Professor Elder’s Congress and Presidency class, for example, she took on the role of Senator Lindsey Graham. By following him in the news and watching video clips, she was able to embody Senator Graham in the classroom during mock congressional hearings, learning about the operations of Congress while also having fun.