[Profile Pictures]Beloit’s student-faculty ratio and smaller campus piqued Keara Grohens’s interest. She decided to come, though, because of something less concrete. “Gut instinct,” she explains. “It just felt right.” 

Now a senior, the Dance and Education major can articulate what makes Beloit unique. “At Beloit, you expand your interests and learn about ones you didn’t know existed,” she says. “You educate yourself through all you do.”

Keara has lived that statement. Take the Health and Society minor’s semester abroad.  In India, she conducted independent research on hygiene education, discovered an interest in international school systems, and revised her entire worldview. “Being abroad changed the way I live my life,” she says. “It altered everything from the resources I use to the compassion I show others.”

Keara realized that lessons learned abroad enrich communities back home. “My experience in Indian classrooms made me focus on my country’s schools,” she says. “Now, I consider how to better serve them.” She also brings her experience to Beloit classes, contributing to the college’s international atmosphere. “I love applying what I’ve learned abroad to my courses here,” she says.

Keara’s life-changing international experience drew her to another. In Ecuador, she completed an internship with Planet Drum Foundation. With them, she helped restore ecological balance in earthquake-ridden Bahia de Caraquez. The program strengthened her commitment to helping the environment—and again, she brought her knowledge home. “The internship gave me ecological tools that I can use to help communities in the United States,” she says.

Back in the U.S., Beloit’s extracurriculars support Keara’s interests. She is active in Outdoor Environmental Club and Peace and Justice Club. On campus, Keara finds peers as passionate and engaged as she is—and that’s one of the reasons she loves Beloit. “I’m living among the most incredible and motivating students I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet,” she says. “My love for Beloit is deeply rooted in its inspiring people.”

She’ll soon leave this community, but she knows it has prepared her well. “Beloit has encouraged me to grow and not hold anything back,” she says. “It’s made me more adventurous and independent. I know what I care about in the world and where I want to direct my energy.” Keara’s energy might go into teaching English abroad. Whatever she decides, she knows her Beloit education is applicable anywhere. “Beloit has made me comfortable being the person I am,” she says. “I couldn’t ask for better preparation.”