By Diana Scott

Valerie Ann Heck

Valerie Ann Heck was student commencement speaker for the Class of 2003. She completed two years at Carroll, earning an A.A. degree with a major concentration in Business. Looking back, she said, "I loved Dr. Dougherty and his micro- and macro-economics courses. I felt so at ease and enjoyed the easy give and take of his classes."

A member of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year college students, Valerie was also elected to Alpha Beta Gamma, the honor society for business students. She is most proud of starting a Juggling Club at the college and getting 20 members actively involved. "I liked the idea that I started the club and that people actually came. Some days we practiced juggling and unicycle riding in the Great Hall and in the Student Center, which piqued the interest of others. Several of us went to a Juggling Convention and we were able to get TWO, a professional juggling duo, to come to the college to perform. I also went to a few SGO meetings and joined them for rock climbing and whitewater rafting trips."

Valerie owns her own business, Silver with a Twist. Valerie designs and handcrafts gold and silver jewelry and her extensive product line is available on her web site www.heck-consulting.com/jewelryshop. She hopes to expand her jewelry design business while attending Towson University, where she intends to major in art with a crafts concentration that includes jewelry making.

Valerie said, "If I had any advice to hand out to future students I would say join at least one club. You will make friends and find out what is going on at the college. If you just take classes, you don't know about the other activities and miss out on a lot the college has to offer."

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