Senior Highlight: Rachel Forrister

In celebration of our college graduates, we reached out to our seniors for a little highlight and feedback from their time at Eastern. Congratulations on getting your degree! And welcome to the Eagle Alumni Family! Go Eags!  

What is your major and minor/certificate and what made you choose that major/minor?

My name is Rachel Forrister, I go by Rae. My major was originally Social Work and I switched to Communication Studies because it was similar, but applicable to more careers. I finished in December 2022 with my Bachelor of Communication Studies and certificate in Aging Studies. 

What class would you tell incoming freshmen that they should make sure to take?

There are two courses that I can think of that are genuinely worth taking whether or not you are in the communications program: CMST 368 – Conflict Management Skills and CMST 360 – Becoming Other-Centered. They both teach valuable life skills that will help you better yourself, and allow you to understand and empathize with others while knowing how to set boundaries.

What’s one class that wasn’t in your major that you’d recommend?

Social Work 549 – Grief, Loss, and Resilience. As part of the aging studies program, this course had a profound impact on my own understanding of grief in myself and others. It is really important to realize that grief is a part of life. You can also grieve people who are still alive, or something or a place you’ve lost. Grief is not solely reserved for death, and I think that is something that doesn’t get talked about enough.

If you made one rule every teacher had to follow, what would it be? Why?

To be kind. You can teach your course while still being understanding of students who are struggling. Sometimes extending a little grace can make a huge positive impact on someone’s relationship with school and learning. We live in a world that is pretty hard to live in sometimes, and the professors who understand and empathize with that make all the difference.