Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Art Imitating Life
"I do a lot with acrylics," says Etienne, a studio artist who loves Belk Visual Arts Center so much, she'll go there to study. "I like mediums with texture. It's an additive process. I do a lot of pieces where I layer a lot... In terms of developing myself as a person, every semester has been something different, too." One of her first classes really made an impression. "It was Racial and Ethnic Relations, with Gerardo Marti. I can appreciate the issues we talk about in sociology, and the professors are great."

Life Imitating Art
"My first year here was very overwhelming. I'm coming from an urban environment. Walking on Main Street here and feeling like I was the only black person, that was hard." That year, there were a couple of isolated but notable campus incidents of racism. "I think one of the things that made me love Davidson for real was how people didn't let things slide by. The administration and the students took initiative to address uncomfortable situations."

No Sophomore Slump
"I'm meeting different people. I'm not afraid to branch out of my comfort zone that I established freshman year. I can do that now. I feel like I can do that now.... One thing that appealed to me here is that Southern hospitality. When I go home, I end up holding doors for people, and they look at me like I'm weird!"

Not Lost In Translation
Her mom and dad, originally from Haiti, are a nurse in a veteran's hospital and a chef at a non-profit Jewish senior center, respectively. Junior year, with financial aid transferable to study abroad, Etienne will spend a semester in Tours, France-and finally become fluent in her parents' native French.

Davidson Trusted Her
The admission counselor who put her initial package together continues to be a financial aid advocate, even a friend. "He is always helping me. I changed my work-study schedule because I'm a Resident Adviser this year. I love my hall, and those are my girls."