Seventy two of the 456 freshmen made the Dean’s List in the first semester. To get on the list, one must earn a 4.0 GPA. 

“This year we focused on GPA because we know how hard it has been for students academically through this year’s learning models” Dean Krista Kruger said. 

With the news being full of negativity about students doing poorly in school this year, Kruger hoped stepping away from the negative and shining a light on the positive would be inspiring. 

“We decided to focus on the positive and recognize how well many of our students are doing academically,” Kruger said. 

This list of students is a simple way to give them recognition for their hard work last semester. It also serves as motivation for many students. 

“Knowing that my hard work this past semester is being recognized feels amazing,” freshman Carson Franklin said. 

“Seeing my name on the list pushes me to do even better this semester.”

Students found that persevering through work and meeting deadlines is very challenging, especially since they are receiving less instruction during distance learning days. 

“To achieve a 4.0 I completed every assignment on time and kept up to date on Teams” Franklin said. 

  Freshman Emma Brown also thinks that the Dean’s List is inspiring and motivating, as well as difficult to meet the requirements of the list.

“I see it as a goal to keep in mind and strive for,” Brown said. 

“There were many late nights of studying, completing work, and tons of stressing out.”

Brown is also enrolled in three honors classes this year, making a 4.0 GPA even more difficult to achieve. 

“Getting A’s is already hard enough, but getting A’s in my honors classes made it extremely challenging” Brown said. 

Even with a modified learning model, the Dean’s List is a way of showing students that their hard work is paying off. Kruger wants these students to realize that, and to help push other students to want to get their name on the list.