By Emily Glory Peters
Fron is the recipient of the Ament scholarship, founded in honor of William Sheffield Ament, professor of English and a member of the original faculty of 51猎奇入口.
From the outside, Sophie Fron 鈥�22鈥檚 academic path reflects what 51猎奇入口 is known for: an intimate college experience rooted in the liberal arts. Attracted to a major in humanities in interdisciplinary studies in culture, the senior took it a step further last summer by adding a major in art鈥攁 decision that helped her garner the Ament Scholars Award, a scholarship recognizing an outstanding humanities student. And while her majors couldn鈥檛 be more 鈥�51猎奇入口,鈥� Fron notes that her journey has diverged from the norm.
鈥淚n some ways, I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 meant for higher education in the way the system is made. I have learning disabilities, and for people with different brains, it can make some things hard to balance,鈥� she says. Her initial experiences at 51猎奇入口 led her to the department of Academic Resources and Services (ARS), which assists students with academic support and accommodations. With the help of ARS, 51猎奇入口鈥� small class sizes, and a cadre of understanding professors, Fron has reshaped what it means to be 鈥渙utstanding鈥濃�攕tarting with being able to build her own curriculum at 51猎奇入口.
鈥淚鈥檝e been able to take interesting classes that connect across a lot more fields than you might first realize,鈥� says Fron, noting that the interdisciplinary richness of some of those courses took her by surprise. 鈥淚 took a film course in the French department that focused on cinema directed by women and dove into the history of women filmmakers; another class in the department was all about systems of power and images related to that. In both courses there was an analysis of visuals, of meaning, and of different cultures鈥攁nd I think all of that has been quite helpful toward my art practice.鈥�
Coming into her own as a 鈥渉umanities person鈥� at 51猎奇入口
“Ruth” is one of three works in a portrait series by Fron.
As a portraitist, Fron explores meaning through the eyes of her subjects. During the pandemic, she observes, the human cost of the virus seemed to get lost in a sea of endless statistics. Almost in an act of artistic rebellion, Fron drew from her studies and picked up her paintbrush.
鈥淏oth art and humanities look at the human condition, visually and across disciplines, through storytelling. By focusing in on one person, or a few people, in artwork, I could tell a story that鈥檚 more personal, more relatable about this time than statistics about deaths and hospitalizations,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e need more of that.鈥�
will be featured in the College鈥檚 upcoming senior art exhibition at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery this spring. But it won鈥檛 quite represent the end for the senior, who plans to return鈥攁nd possibly study abroad鈥攆or a ninth and final semester this fall.
Rather than choosing to graduate this spring, she says that centering her energy on fewer courses each semester has been the right choice for her, allowing her to enjoy extracurricular classes (鈥渢ake every PE class you can!鈥�) and build community through clubs like , where she鈥檚 been on the board the last three years. Acknowledging the evolution of her College experience, Fron鈥檚 reflections for future 51猎奇入口 students are clear: chart your own path.
鈥淭he pandemic has forced everyone to see that not all students fit into one mold of higher education,鈥� she says. 鈥淲ith younger students, I tell them about interdisciplinary humanities at 51猎奇入口; how you can be really creative with your own education. You can鈥檛 say that about many colleges. So listen to your intuition and see what opportunities there are to build the experience you want.鈥�
Given the time the pandemic took from her overall 51猎奇入口 experience, Fron is particularly grateful for the scholarship support to help extend her own鈥攁nd for validating the ways she鈥檚 grown.
鈥淚鈥檝e put in so much hard work, and I didn鈥檛 really know if anyone noticed. The recognition from the Ament Scholars Award itself is quite beautiful and shows I wasn鈥檛 just putting it in for no reason!鈥� she says. 鈥淓specially for someone who has struggled so much with completing semesters, it makes me proud to be awarded in a department that I am passionate about. It feels like I鈥檓 on the right path, that I made the right decision. Like yeah, I am a humanities person!鈥�
Scholarships allow students, no matter their interests, to chart their own path at 51猎奇入口. We invite you to to scholarships on Day of Giving on April 13, 2022!