Hometown: Hickory, N.C.

Close to Home
Adriana Nassar '13 never did The College Tour—"but we did stop by Davidson, because I'd heard it was an awesome school. I fell in love. It had a great vibe, and the people were sweet."

Home Away from Home
Now Nassar lives in the Alvarez College Union. Not really—but almost. "I study there because if I need a break, I can find my friends. I can get a quesadilla at the cafe. I can check to see if my weekly magazine is in my mailbox. I can sprawl out on a sofa and listen to Live Thursdays while attempting my chemistry homework. I love the Union—it's lively, entertaining, and memorable."

See You at the Movies
As chair of the Union Board's Film Committee, Nassar surveys her peers to decide what films to screen on campus. "This year, we've shown Bridesmaids, which is a girly movie, and Thor for the guys. I love that we show these before they come out on DVD." This spring, she'll take students to the Oscars-via a huge TV in the Union. "You can dress up if you want to, and there'll be 'paparazzi' and good food. It'll be glamorous."

Turtles, Wetlands, Research on the Beach
A biology major who volunteers with the Davidson Lands Conservancy, Nassar is active in the Pre-Vet Society and spent last summer conducting turtle research with Prof. Dorcas on Kiawah Island. "We were helping with a recapture study that's been ongoing for 10 or 20 years. You go into the canals with a huge net, drag the turtles out and see what's happened since the last capture. You can tell how often a particular turtle's been captured, whether it was injured." She knows research like this is essential for vet school. "And it was so beautiful down there! We were doing research on the beach."

A New Take on a Familiar Tongue
Nassar's parents emigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon. They spoke Arabic at home, and she is studying it at Davidson. "At home, it's colloquial; here, it's more formal. I've had to retrain my brain. Prof. Joubin is letting me take it as an independent study because it conflicts with chemistry class. Davidson is small enough that professors can do that."