Miriam Linton | Student

A Place to Flourish

When Miriam Linton ’29 began her college search process, she knew that finding a tight-knit community would be a top priority.

“I wanted a small liberal arts school,” she says. “I loved the connections I made with my teachers in high school, and I wanted to continue that in furthering my education.”

Ironically, it was a Wabash alum — her father — who initially encouraged her to visit DePauw. Although she had reservations that it would be too close to her hometown of Fishers, Ind., Linton gave DePauw a shot and was impressed by what she found.

“I felt like DePauw was the school that valued me the most, like they knew they wanted me straight off the bat,” says Linton. “They were always in contact with me and reaching out just to see how I was doing. They were constantly telling me, ‘We see your assets, we see how great of a person you are, and we think you'd be a perfect fit at our school.’”

With that, Linton knew she had found the community she was searching for. Despite an inevitable learning curve in her first few months at college — requiring her to become more proficient at time management, more willing to ask for help and more aware of the delicate balance between her need for social interactions and alone time — Linton quickly began to find herself drawn into DePauw’s culture of friendship and support.

“Everyone has such deep connections with the people here,” she says. “It feels like having a safety net behind you. I think that that's one reason DePauw students can be so confident and carry themselves with such poise.”

For Linton, Greek life has offered a powerful example of this dynamic. After going through the recruitment process and meeting inspiring women all across campus, Linton joined Kappa Alpha Theta — a community where she’s found not only sisters, but also role models.

“Everyone in my house is so passionate about DePauw, about getting their work done, about building a future for themselves,” says Linton. “And I found myself thinking that I want to be like every single one of those girls. They’re strong, they're kind, they're funny, they're smart. Seeing how DePauw has transformed these girls into themselves has shown me that this place really can make you flourish and make you such an incredible person.”

Linton has found the classroom to be yet another valuable context for connection. Although her primary interests are currently in psychology and neuroscience, she’s enjoyed the freedom to explore other subjects throughout the liberal arts curriculum and learn how to interact with different people and their diverse points of view. She’s discovered that even in the face of potential disagreement, relationships remain at the center.

“It can be difficult to navigate staying kind and respectful while also sharing your opinion,” she says. “In the past, my approach would have been to just stay silent. But when you're in such a small class, you are forced to break out of your shell. It's really helped me learn how to talk to people in a way where I can articulate what I'm trying to say while also not diminishing what they're trying to say.”

Needless to say, Linton’s experience at DePauw has been a fulfilling one so far, and she’s continuing to find new ways to get involved and create connections.

“It’s everything I wanted. And more.”