Students come to Harding from near and far Whether students were a few miles from home or a few thousand miles, their lives changed when they left for college. How much they changed often depended on how far Harding was from home. Sophomore Sherrill Ganus had a long history with Harding. Her grandfather, Clifton Ganus Jr., served as president of Harding and is now chancellor. Her father, CliffGanus III , her mother,Debbie Ganus, and even her aunt, Debbie Duke, teach at Harding. From kindergarten through high school graduation, Sherrill attended Harding Academy. Although at one time she had planned to attend Pepperdine University after high school, a semester in HUF with her family during high school helped to change her mind. "I got to know a lot of students there, and I had a lot of friends that were going to come here also, so I decided to come as well ," she said. "I think that Harding is just a name," she said. "The school is made up of the people , and I haven't known the same people for my entire life, so I don't tire of being here." She decided to live in a dorm for a change, however, since she was not moving to a new town like most students . Reagan Weaver , also a Searcian and faculty member's daughter, felt the same desire for some sort of independence. "I feel like it's kind of hard to stay [at home] because I feel as though nothing has changed and I'm not taking that big step that occurs when people go off to school," she said. On the other end of the spectrum were the students who had traveled the globe to come to Searcy. Senior Linda Makarova was from Omsk, Russia, in Siberia. "There are cultural differences that every foreign student must adapt to," she said, "but I think the hardest thing about being here, for me, is missing my friends and family. There are several Russian students at Harding, and when we all get together, it makes me really sentimental, and I miss home even more." Troy Gibbons, a senior from Sydney, Australia, also noticed many cultural differences. "We don't have as much fast food or as many TV channels [inAustralia], and I think that Australia is much more beautiful ," he said. "One of the things I've had to learn to deal with is that Australians are much more laid back. Everything here has to be so precise, and everyone is constantly on the go." Whether they moved across town or across continents , they found that, aside from some cultural differences , students are the same everywhere. - Christina Weber Scott Goode - West Memphi , Ark . Social Science. Theta Tau Delta. Al pha Chi , Am. Studi es , Campaigns (New York), Dean's List , Intramural , Kappa Delta Pi , Phi Alpha Theta , Phi Eta Sigma. Dean a Greenwa lt - Reynoldsburg, Ohi o. Elementary Education. Ko J o Kai . Club Queen, Dean's Li t, Impact , TEACH, Young Democrats. Ch a d Griffin - Searcy, Ark . Professional Sales. Seminoles. College Republi cans, Intercollegiate Athl etics (Football). Jona than Griffin - West Pl ains, Mo. Biology. Jim Grim ley - Fayettevi ll e, .Y. Three Dimensional Design. Molly Gri swold - Livingstone, Texas . Elementary Education. Kappa Gamma Ep ilon . Campus Mini try, Impact , In t ramural . J ill Grove - Midlothian , Va . Nursing. Transfer (University of ebra ka ). Delta Gamma Rho. Campaign (Africa ), Campus Mini stry, Dean's Li t , H A. Ma rybeth Ha beck er - ew York, N.Y. English. Transfer (Samford University). Ko J o Kai . Club Queen, Intramurals, Sigma Tau Delta. Gwen a H a ley - Corpus Christi , Texas. Accounting. Regi na . Accounting ociety, Alpha Chi , Campaigns (New York), Dean's List , Impact, RA, University ingers. Aimee Hall - Amory, Mis . Art Therapy. Juli e Hall - J oplin , Mo. Child Development. Regina . Dean's List, Young Democrat . Lydi a H a ll - Roll a, Mo . Special Education . Transfer (Florida College ). Delta Gamma Rho. RA, SSHA, TEACH. 54 Senior Linda Makarova (right) visits with new friend Erin Johnson in the HUB about which Harding T- shirts would be the best to take home to her family and fri ends in Russia. For students from for eign countries, and sometimes even for those from nearby, souvenirs of Harding were special gifts for loved ones. Photo by Aaron Gillihan.
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