By Jacinta Sigaud ’26, Publications Intern
After immersing themselves in the cultural life of Thomas More College during the beginning of the academic year, three members of the Class of 2029 shared their stories and their reasons for choosing the College.
Raised by missionary parents, Helena Horne ’29 had the opportunity to live in Cameroon as a child. Miss Horne learned the value of hard work while living in conditions of poverty. Reflecting on her unique childhood, she remarked, “We were very blessed because though we were very poor from our perspective, we were considered quite rich because we had plumbing.” Miss Horne first became familiar with the College while attending TMC’s Rome High School Summer Program. After furthering her research on the College, she realized that “a lot of the elements of the College’s culture are things that my family has cultivated.” Having traveled often in her life and lived in many different places, she considers herself to have found a home at TMC. “The College feels like a family,” she explained. “There’s a familial, brotherly spirit between everybody.” Miss Horne particularly appreciates the life of community that is fostered at the College. “It’s a very caring culture with a very Catholic spirit. Everyone is focused on uplifting each other in their faith and in their schoolwork and bettering themselves as people.”
John Paul Dunlap ’29 is no stranger to a classical liberal arts education. He attended St. Martin’s Academy, a Catholic boarding school for boys, which he described as “an extremely enriching, formative experience.” Taking a gap year after high school, Mr. Dunlap lived in France for three months and worked as a volunteer for an order of religious sisters, where he picked up a love of the French language. Mr. Dunlap felt drawn to further his liberal arts education in order to “gain knowledge worth knowing.” He continued, “Small liberal arts schools are really the only places where you can actually be educated the way you’re supposed to be educated, with the priority of contemplating the highest things for their own sake.” An enthusiast of classical music and poetry, Mr. Dunlap looks forward to studying works of history, philosophy, and literature in the Humanities sequence, and to join his classmates in making art and music in Way of Beauty.
Louisa Turner ’29 is also excited to begin the school year. “The College will help me grow in my faith,” she asserted. “It’s so nice being around like-minded people. We don’t necessarily believe in all the same things, but we all strive toward the same things.” Miss Turner was born and raised in Hong Kong, where she was classically educated through online courses. She always knew she wanted to attend a Catholic college and found TMC on the Newman Guide. When asked her reason for pursuing a liberal arts education, she said: “I’m passionate about stories. I was brought up on stories. My dad used to read stories to me before I could even understand English. That’s why I’m excited for the Humanities courses,” she continued. “There’s a real beauty and incredible truth in human stories.”
The College looks forward to witnessing the Class of 2029 grow and thrive over the next four years.
For further reading:
A Beautiful and Enlightening Adventure: TMC’s Summer Programs
