Meet Aileigh Mulligan, a sophomore double majoring in political science and public relations. She comes from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which is about two hours from Elizabethtown College. Mulligan told me about why she decided to travel so far from home to attend college.
“I really fell in love with the campus.” Mulligan said.
She enjoys the small campus feel and the ability to have one-on-one interactions with her professors.
Mulligan is involved in several campus clubs and activities, including Vocalign and E-motion. She is also the secretary of the College Democrats, helping them to reestablish themselves on campus after experiencing a hiatus last year, and is involved with Tempest Theater.
I was involved in theater and singing during high school, but it wasn’t a great experience,” Mulligan said.
Etown is the opposite of what she faced in high school, Mulligan said, and she feels very welcomed in those spaces on campus.
Not only is Mulligan involved in campus clubs, but she also has an on-campus job as a resident assistant (RA) for third floor Myer. Mulligan spent her first semester in Schlosser.
“Living in Myer is fantastic compared to living in Schlosser, but Schlosser is a good dorm for freshman to get used to being away from home,” Mulligan said.
She also recently got hired to work for Etown’s Department of Communications as a photographer, a position she is excited to start.
When it comes to the campus cuisine, Mulligan prefers the ramen from the Fresh Nest over the usual food served at the Marketplace. She specifically likes their miso ramen the best. Mulligan also likes the Blue Bean, where her favorite order is a strawberry acai refresher with lemonade and no berries.
“I love going to Blue Bean because I say I’m gonna lock in, but I always talk,” Mulligan said.
When it comes to Mulligan as a person, she told me about her motivations for why she went with the majors she chose. Her mother has a political science degree, her oldest brother is a neuropsychologist and her older sister works in internal communications.
“They’re the most supportive people ever. It’s nice to have supporters back home,” Mulligan said.
Their support and the way her mother would ensure she was politically informed as she grew up helped her make her decision on what majors to choose.
Mulligan also said her experience in high school and her trips with Etown’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) shaped her drive to change the systems in America. In her high school, she observed how others were able to afford flights to Arizona for a weekend while others were struggling to get by. With CCCE, Mulligan got to interact with the Boys and Girls Club of Columbia, and she got firsthand accounts of how the kids faced struggles at home.
“My goal with my political science degree is to help build policies and laws to help them,” Mulligan said.
When I asked Mulligan the often-dreaded question of what her plans after college are, she wasn’t worried.
“My plans for after college are to work in public advocacy or a nonprofit, maybe in a U.S. state department and maybe law school but only because my parents keep bringing it up,” Mulligan said.
Regardless of what Mulligan chooses to do after college, it’s clear she’s destined to go far in her field!
