Faye "Mellynn" Baker

Any family members attend Centenary?

No family members that attended Centenary.

Interesting personal fact?

Hmmm... Interesting personal fact. Although I have no family members that attended Centenary my grandmother really wanted my mother to attend Centenary. My grandparents often came to Centenary for Methodist conventions and thought very highly of the school. Unfortunatly my mother never came to Centenary but I think its really neat that I chose to come here without any pressures. It was not until after I decided to come to school here that my mother told me how badly her parents wanted her to attend school here.

Organizations involved in:

Residence Hall Association, Pre-Law Society, Fighting Squirrel Productions, Zeta Tau Alpha, Student Government Association

Why did you choose Centenary?

I chose Centenary because it allowed me the opportunity to be challenged academically as well as perform athletically. I first looked into Centenary for academic interests, and soon discovered I could continue pursuing my athletic passions. Centenary also appealed to me because of its size, I knew that if I chose this college I had the opportunity to get to know my professors and not just be another number.

What is unique about Centenary?

What is unique about Centenary is the atmosphere and environment. Centenary is not just a college where students go to get a degree, they get to form bonds with their professors and peers through the academic process.

Thoughts about Shreveport and the surrounding area? How about campus life?

Shreveport is a great city, different from any city in Louisiana. Shreveport has qualities of Texas but yet the personality of Louisiana. One street you will find a a strip center full of chain franchises and then the next street may contain the best local restaurant ever. I think it is a great part of Centenary's campus life, although Centenary may be small Shreveport is a fairly large Louisiana town with plenty to do.

Campus life at Centenary is one of its kind because its small size is its strength. You can walk into the Cafeteria at any time and see several familiar faces. Either you have a class with them, live near them or see them walking on campus, you recognize your peers just by being near them everyday. This feeling is like being at home, no matter where you go a familiar comforting face is near.

How have you personally experienced Centenary? What does it mean to you?

I have personally experienced Centenary by getting involved into many campus organizations. I came to Centenary without any of my friends from high school, and worried I would never make those friendships again. It did not take long for me to realize that I would make many more great friendships. By getting involved on campus I began to truly take pride in my college. At first as an athlete you wear your uniform as a piece of clothing with a name on it. Once I got involved in other campus organizations and got to truly know my college community peers, I began to take pride in that uniform as we traveled from meet to meet.

What IS the Centenary Experience?

I think the Centenary Experience is from the classroom to your everyday life. One moment you may be in class learning about a current political situation say education and then the next moment your volunteering at a local middle school. At Centenary you grow as a person not just as a student.

What is the most meaningful thing that has happened to you at Centenary?

The most meaningful thing that has happened to me at Centenary has been several volunteer efforts through the school. My second semester I completed my Service Learning for Centenary. This part of my Centenary degree proved to be so rewarding. I thought 30 hours would be a drain on my schedule and free time, when in actuality I got so much out of this experience. For my project I helped coach a track team at a local middle school, Caddo Middle Magnet. This soon became one of my favorite things to do every week. The kids on the team were a joy to work with, they truly loved running and appreciated any advice possible. Once I completed this project at the end of my first year I realized I was getting more then just an education at Centenary I was making life long memories and growing as a person.

What are some of the cool things you’ve done lately at Centenary? (i.e. national conferences, unique internships, international tours, individual projects?)

Honestly I'm not sure if I've done any cool things at Centenary in particular. Two things come to mind but I'm not sure if any one else would think of them as "cool." The first is during cross country season we went to Chile Pepper Invitational. The reason this meet is so cool to me is because it has been a dream of mine to have the opportunity to run at. This meet is where all the major schools of the nation come and run against each other. So in our race we were racing against LSU, and many other "big" time schools. It was a neat experience to run against some of the fastest runners in the nation, just being there was an honor. The second "cool" thing I have done at Centenary was through my sorority's philanthropy. I became activities chair of my sorority second semester, and undertook the job of organizing our Auction raising money for breast cancer research and awareness. I had organized several events in the past from proms to homecomings but this was the first fundraising event I had ever organized. This event turned out to be really "cool" to me because I was able to build connections with people in the Shreveport community. I learned the people were so helpful and kind and were willing to help do anything. It was because of this hospitality the auction was able to be a success.