Another First for Randolph
posted 05/16/09
6:48 pm
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Lynchburg, VA -
This Sunday Randolph College (web) will have its second graduating class, the first to include men. There will be two in this class, though only one is choosing to walk at graduation. For him, he says it's been an up and down ride, but it's certainly ending on a high note.
Sequoyah Healy-Louer signed on with the class of 2009 for a number of reasons. It was a chance to reconnect with high school friends, continue his education after junior college, and keep playing soccer. It was not a time to take it easy.
Healy-Louer - "Being the first male in the transition period, in the coed class, I thought that there was definitely a spotlight on me and that I had to set a good example."
It was harder than he expected.
Healy-Louer - "I realized there was tension, but I didn't realize there would be such strong feelings against us being here."
There are stories he prefers not to share. Really, there's no reason to, anymore. Ask him, and it's in the past.
Healy-Louer - "As time went on, it got smoother. And, I developed some very good, very close relationships and friendships with the women here."
Now, he's the guy in handbooks used for recruiting, the picture of a successful man in a world still dominated by women. On Sunday, he's a graduate. One of two men in a class of 144 -- the only one choosing to walk with his class. And he wouldn't miss it for the world.
Healy-Louer - "I'm looking forward to it."
Back when the school was Randolph Macon Woman's College, there was a brief time in 1970's when they accepted some men. Seven received diplomas -- the last coming in 1979. Most were children of faculty members.
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