Miriam Bergmark is a 20 year old student who attends Georgia State University Perimeter College. She expresses her academic self as curious, slow, and patient. Over the courses of her middle school and high school journey, she has learned how important education can be. During our English class, we talked about The New Education. Davidson explained how “The Panic of 1867 dimmed the reputation of the United States education system” (Davidson 19) giving students less hope for an education. Education is important to Miriam because it has helped Miriam understand herself a little bit better. She wants to strive for her goals but the reputation of education is making her second guess her choice. Miriam’s goal is to help others as much as she can as a health scientist. Her biggest influencer is her grandfather. He has taught her many things throughout the course of his lifetime. He is her biggest supporter when it comes to working hard in school. Sometimes when she struggles to learn the material, she would communicate with her grandfather for some advice.
Miriam enjoys learning new materials at school but it takes time for her to digest the new concept. She is very patient with herself when it comes to her studies. Miriam is taking English, qualitative reasoning, anatomy, anatomy lab, and US government at GSU Perimeter College. Her favorite subject in school is anatomy but she does enjoy taking any other science classes. Her love for anatomy started when she was in middle school going to high school in Sweden.
Before she attended Perimeter College, Miriam attended elementary and middle school in Sweden. She went to a private school during her 6th-9th grade. The school that Miriam went to was very well rounded and they helped many international students including her. Miriam said “schools in Sweden are vastly similar to the ones here in the United States.” During her 9th grade year, many students were already applying for universities. She said “students would either apply for universities or go straight into a university.” Miriam’s favorite thing to do was having regular conversations with some of her teachers and professors. She said it helped her tremendously because it was helping her build a connection between her and her professors. Before Miriam and Miriam’s family decided to move, she had learned two different languages, Swedish and English. Miriam’s family moved to the United States because her dad got into a program at a university in America.
Miriam and her family moved from Sweden to Florida. She started to attend a public High School in Florida. She chose psychology and history as her major while she was in high school. During High School, she participated in track, running the 100 meter sprint. She stated that “running felt like all my problems had lifted away.” After High School, she wanted to continue her studies at Perimeter College because it was a cheaper option. Right before she started her journey at Perimeter College, she took a gap year. This was the year covid had happened. She wanted a normal college experience instead of doing it online. Her plans after graduating from Perimeter College is to go to Georgia State University Atlanta Campus to continue her studies as a cardiovascular perfusionist or as a health science. Miriam is very thankful to have experienced this wonderful journey with her family.
If Miriam had never moved to the United States, she wouldn’t be telling her story today. Besides attending school, Miriam enjoys riding horses in her free time. She enjoys doing what she loves during her free time because it helps her relieve some of her stress from school. Miriam is excited for her new journey as a college student.
Citation:
Trinh Bui interviewed Miriam Bergmark
Davidson, Cathy N. The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World Flux. 2nd ed., Basic Books, 2017.