CARISSIA BERRIOS - ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
University Made Homeschooler Feel at Home

Carissia Berrios was the consummate homeschooler. She thrived in an individualized-learning setting. She is an independent thinker—able to frame questions and perform research on her own. And she also enjoyed learning and serving outside of home in her upstate New York community. After her unique and rich experience being homeschooled, Berrios sought an equally powerful college experience. She found it at Southeastern.

Berrios looked for a university with small classes and easy access to professors because she was accustomed to custom-fit instruction as a homeschooler. Classes are small at Southeastern, and professors welcome meeting with her, she said. Berrios also appreciates that Southeastern professors have encouraged her individuality in writing papers and completing other assignments.

Although Berrios was homeschooled, she was engaged in her larger community. She studied American Sign Language, dance and drama with other local homeschoolers, and she worked as a full-time nanny. She wanted to continue her involvement in the greater community in college. As a sophomore at Southeastern, she served as a First Teams leader, meaning she met weekly with a group of freshman women to help them adjust to university life. Berrios also is a member of Southeastern’s Worship Choir.

In addition to helping her meet her academic and co-curricular goals, Southeastern has delighted Berrios in unexpected ways. Berrios, for instance, didn’t know she’d enjoy the thrill of rooting for the school basketball team since she hadn’t gone to a traditional school since sixth-grade. Berrios also appreciates the diversity of students at Southeastern. They come from different types of families, including single-parent, small and large. Berrios also has found that Southeastern students have been educated in different settings before college—at home or through Christian, private or public schools. The diversity of the student body also is reflected in her friends. They’re from many states and cover a spectrum of ages. But despite all the differences among students, Berrios feels like she’s part of a family at Southeastern. The school’s president, Dr. Mark Rutland, contributes to this family atmosphere whenever he refers to Southeastern students as his children, she says. A professor also made Berrios feel at home her freshman year by inviting her to Thanksgiving dinner if she didn’t have plans.

Reflecting on her university selection process, Berrios said five schools met her criteria, but experiences of former Southeastern students moved her to come here. People only had good things to say about Southeastern, Berrios said. And that, she said, spoke volumes.