- Scheib has no regrets about SMC career
By NOREEN GILLESPIE
News Writer
As a high school senior, Julia Scheib thought her college path would lead her straight down Notre Dame Avenue to the Golden Dome.
With a rich family legacy tied to the University, she filled out an application to the college she had always wanted to attend. But when a rejection letter arrived in the straight-A student's mailbox, Scheib suddenly found herself blazing a path less traveled.
Scheib had also sent in an application to the college across the street, where she had fallen in love with what she saw.
Four years later, the Saint Mary's valedictorian for the class of 2001 believes that things happen for a reason — and has the evidence of a successful college career to back it up.
"From the day I got to Saint Mary's, it's been no looking back," Scheib said. "God does things for reasons."
But for Scheib, who will graduate Saturday at the top of her class with a 3.98 GPA, the valedictory distinction shouldn't separate her from her classmates. She didn't even know she was in the running for the honor until she investigated her class rank for her résumé in October.
However, hard work — and hard play — have always been priorities for the self-proclaimed perfectionist, who balanced the past four years as a secondary education and psychology double major. While managing teaching assignments at Penn High School and Clay Middle School, Scheib also composed her senior psychology comprehensive, a comparison of Sigmund Freud and William James' theories of religion. Still sneaking in time to contribute to Residence Hall Association, class boards, hall councils and Campus Ministry during her tenure at Saint Mary's, Scheib has learned the delicate art of time management.
Scheib is awaiting word on a high school teaching position for the fall. While teaching may not be what she wants to pursue as a permanent career, she is considering the possibility of eventually returning to school to work on a master's or Ph.D.
"I've always been a person who loves school," she said. "As a teacher you still get to study, because you have to learn the material to teach it. I don't want to teach kids just the basics."
As far as providing guidance for her fellow classmates during her valedictory address Saturday, Scheib will stay away from giving advice, she said. The speech will be something that will reach out to each graduate in the class of 2001.
As she walks down the final stretch of the path she never thought she'd take, she knows she made the right choice.
"I applied to Notre Dame my junior year, just to see if I could get in," Scheib said. "I just wanted to do that for myself. I got in, but I had no intentions of going there. I know I wasn't meant to go there … I'm just very happy it happened that way."
All News Stories for Friday, May 18, 2001
