Alumni Profiles

The Value of a Liberal Arts Education

My name is Timothy Imafidon. I graduated in December 2004 with a degree in biology and health sciences, and I plan to attend dental school at Howard University.

I originally had to be poked and prodded to even consider Guilford. A big part of the reason I came to Guilford was Liam Behrens, the soccer coach. I'd never heard of Guilford until he contacted me, though my dad knew of Guilford because he'd gone to High Point University and A&T. I wasn't really interested in Guilford at first—it was too small for my tastes, and all I wanted to do was play soccer—but Coach Behrens called me and called me, and kept Guilford in my mind and that of my parents. I think he just realized that I would really fit in here. It just took a little longer for me to catch it, too.

A little after I first arrived here, I just opened up. The soccer guys were cool, the professors were lively—and they cared. I've had conversations with friends from home and it seems they never have real interactions with their professors. Here I'd see my teachers and they'd say "Hey Tim, how're you doing?"  I could walk into their offices to just talk about things—even more personal problems. I hit a point where I was ready to take some time off from school because my grades weren't so stellar, my mom was sick, and it just wasn't a good time for me. The reason I stuck it out was pretty much the counsel of Lynn Moseley, my biology professor.

Lynn's been great for me in so many ways. She helped me keep my head on my shoulders. When I was looking at classes, she'd help me figure out my schedule and which classes were best for me, help me figure out the best way to balance being on the soccer team and handling two majors. She also helped me keep my mind on the fact that, as much as I love soccer, I'm here for school. And when I didn't understand something, Lynn was there to get me past it. She wouldn't give us anything, but she'd lead us there. I'd go talk to her, she'd explain the concept again and send me to work on the problem. And suddenly it would make sense.

It's even due to Lynn's advice that I'm on the dental track. I'd heard of a summer science program at Carolina and asked her what she thought of it. She told me it was a great program, so I applied, got in, and went. While I was there, I had the opportunity to do an amalgam prep—preparation for filling a tooth cavity—and I just knew that was what I wanted to do. So I guess I have Lynn to thank for that, if indirectly.

My Guilford experience has been a remarkable thing. I've been challenged in so many different ways, and though it's been hard work, it's been worth it. And I've learned something really important:  to never be scared to ask for help. I know that before I came to Guilford I was really competitive. I never asked for help because I was afraid people would think I was stupid, or weak. Asking questions is the only way to progress. If I don't understand something these days, I'm going to ask. And I'm better for it.

There are so many things I value about my Guilford experience:  the education, the faculty and staff, and the close connections I've made. It just feels so good to know that people care. I can't lie and say I get that from everyone on Guilford campus, but there's definitely a good handful of people who, if I needed something, I could call them and they'd do, they'd get it for me. It's the same with a lot of my friends on campus. We're going to be together for the rest of out lives. You don't get that everywhere.

In a way, I wish I could relive my life at Guilford, just start all over. My senior year, I'd be in the cafeteria with my friends, and it would be so hard to believe that we were almost out of here. We'd just sit and reminisce, and things that happened our first year felt like they just happened last week. I guess that's why I just don't understand why people are in such in a hurry to get everywhere, to do everything. Just slow down—it comes fast enough. All the freshmen are saying "I want to be 21," but I'm 21 -- and what I'm saying is, "Man, I'm about to get out of here, I'm about to go in to the real world. I wish I could be a freshman again."